Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and the Buffalo Sabres are set to face off against Mitchell Marner, John Tavares, and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in a divisional showdown. CBC Sports will showcase the matchup, and the action gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 2.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
With a moneyline of -260, Toronto comes into the game as the heavy favorite. The line for the Sabres now stands at +220 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 7 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Toronto is 39-25 straight-up (SU) and has lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That win percentage, the NHL’s third-best so far in the early season, hasn’t moved much from what the team posted during the 2017-18 season (49-33). Among its 64 games this season, 31 have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under and just four have pushed. The team is 20-13 SU at home this year.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 22.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for ninth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 13th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.6 percent of all penalties.
Sporting a .923 save percentage and 30.6 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (30-16-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for Toronto this season. If the Leafs, however, choose to give him the night off, Toronto may roll with Garret Sparks (7-7-7 record, .902 save percentage, 3.09 goals against average).
Buffalo has lost 1.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 30-34 straight up (SU). 34 of its contests have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under the total and just two have pushed. As a road team, the Sabres are 11-21 SU.
The Sabres have converted on 19.1 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked sixth overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Carter Hutton (.910 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo. Hutton is averaging 27.3 saves per game and has 16 wins, 23 losses, and four OT losses to his credit.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Eight of Toronto’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 5-3 overall in those games.
- The Sabres are 11-18 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 23-25 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Buffalo (4-2 in shootouts) has more shootout experience coming into this one. Toronto has yet to participate in one this year.
- For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in four of their last five matches.
- Buffalo skaters have averaged 9.8 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 9.4 giveaways per game (the 10th-fewest in the NHL).
- Toronto has averaged 13.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.7 giveaways per game (ranked 23rd).
