The Buffalo Sabres, fueled by Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, are ready to take the ice against Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin, and the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in an Atlantic Division showdown. Fox Sports Detroit will air the matchup, which gets underway at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 12.
Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings Odds
Playing the role of favorites will be the Sabres (-140), while the Red Wings are showing moneyline odds of +120,, and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Buffalo is 19-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 45 regular season outings, 22 of its games have gone over the total, while another 22 have gone under and none have pushed. As the away team this season, the Sabres are 6-17 SU.
Buffalo has converted on 17.9 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off only 74.6 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 28.7 saves per game with a .910 save percentage, Linus Ullmark (13-15-3) has been the top option in goal for Buffalo this season. If Buffalo decides to rest him, however, head coach Ralph Krueger might turn to Carter Hutton (6-11-4), who has a .892 save percentage and 3.34 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the rink, Detroit is 12-33 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 45 regular season contests, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just five have pushed. It’s 8-15 SU as the home team this year.
The Red Wings have converted on just 15.5 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 26th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Jonathan Bernier (26.0 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Red Wings. Bernier has 10 wins, 18 losses, and two OT losses and has registered a poor .904 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average this year.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Both teams are 1-1 in games decided by shootout.
The under has hit in four of Detroit’s last five outings.
Buffalo’s attempted 29.8 shots per contest overall this season (ranked 25th in the NHL), and 26.0 in its last 10 outings.
Six of Buffalo’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 0-6 in those games.
The Red Wings this season have registered the 12th-most hits per game in the NHL (22.1), but the team’s averaged 25.0 over their last five games as the home team.
