In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings face off at Little Caesars Arena. Fox Sports Detroit will air this Atlantic Division matchup, and the opening face-off takes place at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 12.
Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings Odds
With a -140 moneyline, Buffalo enters the contest as the substantial favorite. The line for Detroit is standing at +120 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -110 for the over and -110 for the under.
Buffalo is 19-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 22 of its matches have gone over the total, while another 22 have gone under and none have pushed. As the away team this season, the Sabres are 6-17 SU.
Buffalo has converted on 17.9 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th out of 31 teams, and it’s successfully killed off only 74.6 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Buffalo has been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over its last five games total, and 3.6 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
With a .910 save percentage and 28.7 saves per game, Linus Ullmark (13-15-3) has been the best option in goal for Buffalo this year. If head coach Ralph Krueger chooses to rest him, however, the team may turn to Carter Hutton (6-11-4 record, .892 save percentage, 3.34 goals against average).
Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Sabres. Eichel has 58 points on 27 goals and 31 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 15 different games. Reinhart has 15 goals and 21 assists to his name (and has logged at least one point in 25 games).
Over on the other bench, Detroit is 12-33 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 45 regular season outings, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just five have pushed. This year, the team is 8-15 SU at home.
Detroit has converted on just 15.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places it in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Detroit players have been sent to the penalty box 3.6 times per game this season, 4.0 per game over their past five games total, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Bernier (26.0 saves per game) has been the top choice in the crease for Detroit. Bernier has 10 wins, 18 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a subpar .904 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Tyler Bertuzzi (16 goals, 18 assists).
Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Both teams are 1-1 in games decided by shootout.
- The under has hit in four of Detroit’s last five outings.
- Buffalo has attempted 29.8 shots per contest overall this season (ranked 25th in the NHL), and 26.0 in its last 10 games.
- Six of Buffalo’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 0-6 in those games.
- The Red Wings this season have registered the 12th-most hits per game in the NHL (22.1), but that average has risen to 25.0 over their last five home games.
