Two teams that’ve underperformed this season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings conclude the seasons at Little Caesars Arena in a divisional tilt. The first puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 6, and it’ll be televised live on Fox Sports Detroit.
Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings Odds
Offering a moneyline of -130, Detroit comes into the game as the favorite. The line for the Sabres sits at +110, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Earning moneyline bettors 0.3 units, Detroit is 32-49 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage isn’t too far off from to what the team managed during the 2017-18 season (30-52). Of the team’s 81 regular season outings, 42 have gone under the total, while 37 have gone over and just two have pushed. The team is 17-23 SU at home this year.
The Red Wings have converted on 17.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 28th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.7 percent of all penalties.
With a .910 save percentage and 28.4 saves per game, Jimmy Howard (24-30-7) has been the principal goalkeeper for the Wings this season. If head coach Jeff Blashill decides to give him a breather, however, the team might go with Jonathan Bernier (9-26-26 record, .904 save percentage, 3.16 goals against average).
Buffalo has lost 14.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 32-49 straight up (SU). 43 of its outings have gone over the total, while 35 have gone under the total and just three have pushed. As the visiting team, the Sabres are 11-29 SU.
The Sabres have converted on 18.8 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 12th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
Carter Hutton (.908 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo. Hutton is averaging 28.0 saves per game and has 18 wins, 32 losses, and five OT losses to his credit.
Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Seven of Buffalo’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 1-6 in those games.
- Power plays and penalty kills could prove to be even more key than usual in tonight’s game. The Sabres are 11-23 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 25-37 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Red Wings are 8-20 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 21-34 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Detroit is 3-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while Buffalo is 5-3 in shootouts.
- The total has gone under in three of Detroit’s last five games.
- Buffalo skaters have averaged 11.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.3 giveaways per game (ranked 10th in the NHL).
- Detroit is ranked 26th this season with 12.5 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as it’s averaged 9.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 9.8 giveaways over its last five.
