Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres Betting Pick & Prediction 12/19/23

Making on a bet on this NHL game featuring the Blue Jackets versus the Sabres? The puck drops at 7:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on MSG-. The game will be played at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. This Eastern conference matchup has an over/under of 6.5 goals, and the Sabres are favored to win at home vs. the Blue Jackets.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS VS BUFFALO SABRES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Buffalo Sabres -1.5

This game will be played at KeyBank Center at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, December 19th.

WHY BET THE BUFFALO SABRES:

• With the Sabres being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Sabres.
• Take the Sabres on the moneyline
• On the spread, we like Blue Jackets (+1.5)

Can the Blue Jackets Pull the Upset on the Road?

Coming into their game vs. Sabres, the Blue Jackets have a 10-17-5 record. They hold a 7-9-2 record when playing at home, and they have gone 3-8-3 on the road. In the Eastern Metropolitan division, they are currently 8th, and in the Eastern conference, they come into the game sitting 15th.

In terms of the puck line, Columbus are 19-13. When playing on the road against the puck line, they are 10-4, while their overall home performance is 9-9. For the season, the average number of goals per game in matchups featuring Columbus is 6.7. The season’s average over/under line is currently at 6.4. The Blue Jackets come in with an over/under record of 19-13-0.

Although Columbus has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 1-2. The team averaged 3 goals per game in these games.

On the offensive side, the Blue Jackets are scoring an 3 goals per game this season, ranking 15th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 12th in the league. Looking at how the Blue Jackets’ offense is performing during power plays, they are 25th in power play goals and 32nd in shorthanded goals.

The leading scorer for Columbus’ offense is Boone Jenner. Coming into the game he has 13 goals, ranking 35th in the NHL. Jenner also comes into the game with 5 assists.

In terms of defense, the Sabres head into the game ranked 18th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 29.5 shots per game against Buffalo. So far, they are 25th in shutouts, achieving 1 shutouts.

Goalie Elvis Merzlikins comes into the game having made 20 starts this season. So far, his record is 7-8 and he has a save percentage of 0.9270833333333334%.

Will the Sabres Win at KeyBank Center?

The Sabres come in with an overall record of 13-16-3. On the road, Buffalo has a 7-9-2 record, whereas they are 6-7-1 at home. They are currently positioned 7th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 14th in the Eastern conference.

Analyzing their performance against the puck line, Buffalo has a 16-16 record. On the road they are 11-7 against the puck line, while their overall home performance is5-9. Games involving Buffalo have an average of 6.1 goals per game this season. Their average over/under line is 6.5. In terms of their over/under performance, the Sabres come in with a record of 13-18-1.

Across their three previous home games, Buffalo has an puck line mark of 1-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-2 while averaging 2 goals per game.

The Sabres come into the game scoring an average of 2.8 goals per game, putting them 21st in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 11th in the league. The Sabres went 8-9 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 5-7.

Buffalo’s leading goal scorer is JJ Peterka. So far this season, he has 12 goals, placing him 42nd in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Peterka has 10 assists this season.

Defensively, the Sabres come into the season ranked 18th in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 29.5 shots per game against Buffalo. For the season, they are ranked 25th in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.

Goalie Devon Levi gets the start and has made 12 starts this season. His record at this point is 6-4, and his save percentage is 0.5625%.