The Edmonton Oilers, fueled by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, are ready to take the ice against Jack Eichel, Victor Olofsson, and the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in a cross-continent showdown. The match will get going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 2 and it’s being televised live on Sportsnet West.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Buffalo Sabres Odds
Buffalo comes into the matchup as the favorite with a -120 moneyline. The line for Edmonton sits at +100, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
Edmonton is 21-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 21 of its contests have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just two have pushed. As an away team in 2019-20, the Oilers are 11-10 SU.
Edmonton currently has the first-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 30.2 percent of its extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, it has the eighth-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 83.3 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 27.8 saves per game with a .912 save percentage, Mikko Koskinen (14-12-2) has been the top option in goal for Edmonton this season. If head coach Dave Tippett chooses to rest him, however, the team might go with Mike Smith (7-13-2), who has a .893 save percentage and 3.12 goals against average this year.
Buffalo is 17-24 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 41 regular season contests, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 11-8 SU as the home team this season.
The Sabres have converted on just 17.6 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.0 percent of all penalties.
Linus Ullmark has stopped 28.8 shots per game as the primary option in goal for the Sabres. Ullmark has 11 wins, 14 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has recorded a fairly-weak .909 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average this year.
Edmonton Oilers at Buffalo Sabres Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Six of Buffalo’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals. The club is 1-5 overall in those games.
- The Oilers are 7-8 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Sabres are 6-8 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Edmonton is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Buffalo is 1-1 in shootouts.
- Edmonton might hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 11-6 in games decided by one goal, while Buffalo is 7-12 in such games.
- The total has gone under in four of Buffalo’s last five games.
- Edmonton is ranked 27th this season with 12.1 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as the team’s averaged 14.3 giveaways over its last 10 games and 17.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Buffalo has averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 8.1 giveaways per game (the 3rd-fewest in the league).
