Two teams squaring off for the second time this year, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Buffalo Sabres face off at the KeyBank Center. The puck drops at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 1, and fans at home can catch this Eastern Conference matchup live on MSG Western New York.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Buffalo Sabres Odds
Columbus is 27-24 straight up (SU) and has earned 6.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 51 regular season outings, 32 of its games have gone under the total, while 18 have gone over and just one has pushed. As an away team in 2019-20, the Jackets are 11-13 SU.
Columbus has converted on just 17.7 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 23rd in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Columbus has been penalized just 3.2 times per game this season, and 1.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to kill penalties just 5.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .913 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Joonas Korpisalo (17-15-5) has been the top option in goal for Columbus this season. If head coach John Tortorella decides to rest him, however, Columbus could roll with Elvis Merzlikins (9-12-5), who has a .926 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average this year.
The visiting Blue Jackets will be led by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Gustav Nyquist. Dubois has 38 points on 15 goals and 23 assists, and has recorded multiple points seven times. Nyquist has 11 goals and 21 assists to his nameand has registered a point in 23 games.
On the other side of the ice, Buffalo is 22-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 24 of its games have gone over the total, while another 24 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 14-11 SU at home this season.
Buffalo has converted on 19.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.3 percent of all penalties.
The Sabres have been penalized 3.4 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over their past ten contests. The team has had to kill penalties just 5.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Linus Ullmark has stopped 28.5 shots per game as the top netminder in the crease for Buffalo. Ullmark has 16 wins, 17 losses, and three overtime losses and has maintained a mediocre 2.72 goals against average and a .914 save percentage this season.
Jack Eichel (30 goals, 34 assists) will lead the attack for the Sabres.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Buffalo Sabres Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The Sabres are 7-8 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Blue Jackets are 8-10 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Buffalo is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Columbus is 0-2 in shootouts.
- Buffalo has averaged 4.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 5.3 takeaways per game (ranked 30th).
- Columbus has allowed 2.5 goals per game overall this year, but has given up only 1.0 per match up over their six-game winning streak.
- Columbus is ranked 23rd overall with 6.7 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as it has created 7.9 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Columbus may hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 16-14 in games decided by one goal, while Buffalo is 9-13 in such games.
