Squaring off for the final time this season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Colorado Avalanche collide at the Pepsi Center. This East-West matchup will get underway at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9 and it is being shown live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Buffalo Sabres at Colorado Avalanche Odds
With a moneyline of -170, Colorado comes into the game as the substantial favorite. The line for Buffalo is standing at +150 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 7 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
Buffalo is 30-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 67 regular season matches, 38 of its games have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just two have pushed. As the away team in 2018-19, the Sabres are 11-23 SU.
Buffalo has converted on 18.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.9 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Buffalo has been penalized just 3.1 times per game this season, 3.6 per game over its last five games total, and 3.6 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .911 save percentage and 27.2 saves per game, Carter Hutton (16-25-5) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo this year. If Buffalo decides to rest him, however, they could turn to Linus Ullmark (15-16-4), who has a .907 save percentage and 3.13 goals against average this year.
Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Sabres. Eichel (72 points) has tallied 25 goals and 47 assists, and has recorded two or more points 24 times. Reinhart has 18 goals and 40 assists to his name (and has notched at least one point in 39 games).
On the other side of the ice, Colorado is 29-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 68 regular season contests, 36 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 14-18 SU at home this year.
Colorado has converted on 22.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Colorado players have been called for penalties 4.2 times per game this season, and 3.6 per game over their past five match ups. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays 10.2 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Semyon Varlamov (27.7 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Colorado. Varlamov has 19 wins, 27 losses, and nine OT losses to his name and has recorded a pedestrian 2.84 goals against average and a .910 save percentage this year.
Mikko Rantanen (29 goals, 56 assists) will lead the attack for the Avalanche.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Two of Buffalo’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 4-3 overall in shootouts this season.
- The total has gone over in each of Buffalo’s last five games.
- Buffalo has managed 35.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Colorado is averaging 40.4 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Over Buffalo’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-5 in those games).
- Buffalo skaters created 21.5 hits per game last season, while the Avs accounted for 20.4 hits per matchup.
