The Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins meet in NHL action from the TD Garden on Thursday night. An Atlantic division matchup on Thursday, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in, take a look and give a Sabres vs. Bruins Prediction.
Buffalo Sabres Team Preview
The Buffalo Sabres come into this game looking to snap a four-game losing streak after a 5-3 loss at the hands of Detroit last time out. Casey Mittelstadt leads the Sabres in scoring with 22 points including a team-high 16 assists while Rasmus Dahlin has 21 points with 15 assists. Jeff Skinner has 20 points with a team-high 11 goals and JJ Peterka has 19 points with 10 goals while Alex Tuch has 17 points with 8 goals and 9 assists. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 6-5-1 record with a 2.81 GAA and an .907 save percentage while Devon Levi is 3-4-1 with a 3.66 GAA and an .879 save percentage and Eric Comrie is 1-5 with a 4.01 GAA and an .863 save percentage this season in goal for the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres Team Facts
- The Sabres have lost each of their last seven night games at TD Garden.
- The Sabres have covered the puck line in nine of their last 10 games as underdogs following a home loss.
- The Sabres have lost the third period in each of their last six games at TD Garden following a loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Sabres’ last six games against Atlantic Division opponents.
Boston Bruins Team Preview
The Boston Bruins come into this one on a three-game win streak after a 3-1 win over Columbus last time out. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 36 points including a team-high 14 goals and 22 assists while Brad Marchand has 23 points with 11 goals and 12 assists. Charlie Coyle has 20 points with 9 goals and 11 assists while Pavel Zacha has 19 points with 8 goals and 11 apples. Charlie McAvoy has 17 points with 14 assists and James van Riemsdyk has 16 points with 5 goals and 11 assists. Jeremy Swayman’s gone 9-1-2 with a 2.08 GAA and a .932 save percentage for the Bruins in goal while Linus Ullmark is 8-3-1 with a 2.65 GAA and a .918 save percentage this season.
Boston Bruins Team Facts
- The Bruins have won each of their last 10 Thursday games against the Sabres.
- The Bruins have covered the puck line in each of their last seven games against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Bruins have won the third period in each of their last seven games against the Sabres following a win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Bruins’ last eight games following a win.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Boston Bruins ranks 1st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (89.01%).
- The Boston Bruins ranks 3rd in the league for goals against per game this season (2.46).
- The Buffalo Sabres ranks 25th in the league for goals per game this season (2.85).
- The Buffalo Sabres ranks 25th in the league in power play percentage this season (15.79%).
Sabres vs. Bruins Prediction
I’m on the Bruins here. The Bruins have flat out owned Buffalo the last few years, winning 20 of the 22 meetings and I just don’t see the Buffalo Sabres at this point waking up all of a sudden and pulling off the upset. The Bruins are just the far better team right now and I have to roll with them here at home.
