The Buffalo Sabres, led by Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner, are set to take the ice against Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center for a divisional tilt. The game gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 19 and it can be viewed live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers Odds
Florida comes into the contest as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -140. The line for the Sabres now stands at +120, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-125 money on the over, +105 on the under).
Buffalo is 28-30 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 1.1 units this year. Through 58 regular season contests, 31 of its games have gone over the total, while 26 have gone under and just one has pushed. This 2018-19 Sabres team is 11-17 SU on the road.
Buffalo has converted on 18.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it has successfully killed off 81.6 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .909 save percentage, Carter Hutton (15-20-3) has been the best option in goal for Buffalo this year. If it decides to give him a rest, however, the team may roll with Linus Ullmark (14-12-4), who has a .910 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average this year.
Florida is 25-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 29 of its matches have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just six have pushed. This year, the team is 14-15 SU at home.
The Panthers enter the matchup with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 25.9 percent of their extra-man opportunities this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
James Reimer (24.0 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in the crease for the Panthers. Reimer has 13 wins, 19 losses, and five OT losses to his credit and has maintained a poor .901 save percentage and 3.05 goals against average this year.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Florida Panthers Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Six of Buffalo’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 2-4 in those games.
- The Panthers are 13-17 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 15-23 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
- Buffalo is 4-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 3-4 in shootouts.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
- Buffalo skaters have averaged 10.4 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.4 giveaways per game (the 10th-fewest in the NHL).
- Florida has averaged 16.4 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 14.8 giveaways per game (ranked 31st in the league).
