Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Preview
The Sabres and Lightning are set to face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Lightning will host the game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL.
The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 6.5 goals and the Lightning are the -1.5 favorite to win at home vs. the Sabres. Check out BetCoco for Tampa Bay Lightning – Buffalo Sabres odds
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Head-to-Head and Key Stats
Over their previous five games against the Lightning, the Sabres have put together a record of 3-2. Looking back over the previous three times that the Sabres and Lightning have faced off, they have combined to average 5 goals per game and have an over/under record of 1-2.
- Across their three previous road games, Buffalo has an puck line mark of 1-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-1 while averaging 2 goals per game.
- In their last ten games at home, the Lightning have a straight up record of 7-3 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 4 goals per game in these contests.
- Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Lightning have a straight up record of 4-6. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 5-5.
- Against the spread, the Sabres have put together of 1-4 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 3-2 straight up.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction
Buffalo enters the game with a 27-28-4 record and is in 6th place in the Atlantic Division and 13th place in the Eastern Conference. On the season, the Sabres have been the underdog in 36 of their 59 games and have gone 14-19-3 in those games.
Over their last ten games, Buffalo has a record of 5-5, and they have gone 3-2 in their last five games. On the road, the Sabres have gone 14-12-3 this season and have lost their last two games as the underdog.
On offense, the Sabres are averaging 2.9 goals per game which is 21st in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 10th in the league. The Sabres went 16-18 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 10-10.
Heading into this matchup vs. Tampa Bay, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has started 32 games in this season. His current record is 17-15, and his save percentage stands at 0.776%.
At home this season, the Lightning have gone 18-8-3, and they have been favored in 35 of their 61 games. In the Eastern Conference standings, Tampa Bay is in 8th place and 5th in the Atlantic Division. Over their last ten games, the Lightning have gone 5-5, and they are 2-1 in their last three games.
Overall, Tampa Bay has a record of 32-24-5, and they have 69 points for the season. Against other teams from the Eastern Conference, the Lightning have gone 16-18, and they have gone 6-10 against other teams in the Atlantic Division. At home, Tampa Bay has lost three straight games.
When looking at their offense, the Lightning have an average of 3.4 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 6th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 18th in the league. Looking at how the Lightning’s offense is performing during power plays, they are 1st in power play goals and 29th in shorthanded goals.
Entering the game, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has started 35 games this season. His current record stands at 20-15, and his save percentage is 0.794%.
In spite of being 1.5 goal underdogs, we anticipate the Sabres winning this one 4-3.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Betting Tips
- We like the Sabres on the moneyline (+135)
- The Sabres are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Our NHL model projects 7 goals, and we suggest taking the under
Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Report
- Haydn Fleury – Upper Body – Questionable
- Brent Seabrook – Shoulder/Back/Hip – Out
- Mikhail Sergachev – Leg – Out
- Logan Brown – Undisclosed – Out
- Tanner Jeannot – Lower Body – Out
Buffalo Sabres Injury Report
- Victor Olofsson – Illness – Questionable
- Mattias Samuelsson – Upper Body – Out
- Jack Quinn – Lower Body – Out
