The Buffalo Sabres and the Edmonton Oilers meet Thursday in NHL action from Rogers Place. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Buffalo Sabres vs. Edmonton Oilers prediction.
Buffalo Sabres Team Preview
The Buffalo Sabres come into this one looking to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to Vancouver last time out. Rasmus Dahlin leads the Sabres with 52 points with 17 goals and 35 assists. Jeff Skinner has 45 points with 24 goals while JJ Peterka has 41 points with 21 goals and 20 assists. Alex Tuch also has 46 points with 19 goals and 27 assists this season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 23-17-3 record with a 2.38 GAA and a .915 save percentage while Devon Levi is 9-8-2 with a 3.30 GAA and an .894 save percentage and Eric Comrie is 1-7 with a 3.91 GAA and an .864 save percentage this season in goal for the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres Team Facts
- The Sabres have won five of their last six games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Sabres have covered the puck line in each of their last 10 games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in seven of the Sabres’ last eight games following a road loss.
- The underdogs have won the third period in each of the Sabres’ last six games.
Edmonton Oilers Team Preview
The Edmonton Oilers come into this game looking to build on a 3-2 OT win over Montreal in their last matchup. Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in scoring with 108 points including a team-high 82 assists while Leon Draisaitl has 87 points with 34 goals and 53 assists. Zach Hyman has 65 points with a team-high 46 goals while Evan Bouchard has 65 points with 15 goals and 50 assists as well. Evander Kane has 38 points with 21 goals and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 58 points with 42 assists this season. Stuart Skinner is 30-13-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .908 save percentage while Calvin Pickard is 10-4 with a 2.25 GAA and a .919 save percentage this season. The Oilers will take on the Maple Leafs and Senators after this one.
Edmonton Oilers Team Facts
- The Oilers have won seven of their last eight night games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Oilers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games following a home win.
- The Oilers have won the second period in eight of their last nine games as home favorites following a home win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 18 of the Oilers’ last 19 night games.
Sabres vs. Oilers Prediction
I’m on the Oilers here. I like this Sabres team and what they’ve done up to this point as of late, and with Edmonton playing a couple of close games in succession, maybe Buffalo battles and keeps it close. But there’s just too much firepower for Edmonton to blindly go the other way here, and while I think it’ll be competitive, I think Edmonton gets the win.