Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Preview
Betting on today’s Sabres and Lightning game? Catch the action at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, as the Lightning hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+.
The over/under goal line for this matchup is currently at 6 goals, and the Lightning are favored by -1.5 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
The last three times that the Sabres have faced off vs. the Lightning as the underdog, they have gone 2-1. Going back to the last five head-to-head games between the Lightning and Sabres, the over/under record in these games is 2-3 with a combined average of 6 goals per contest.
- When looking at their past three road matchups, Buffalo has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 1 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
- Tampa Bay has played well in their previous five home games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 2. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 3-2.
- Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Lightning have a straight up record of 6-4. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 7-3.
- The last ten games that Buffalo was favored, they have an puck line mark of 5-5 while going 7-3 straight up.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction
As the 12th ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres have had a tough season. They enter today’s game with an overall record of 38-38-6, including a 23-26 record against Eastern Conference opponents. On the road, the Sabres have gone 17-19-5 this season, and they have lost three straight games away from home.
Against teams from the Atlantic Division, Buffalo has gone 10-15 this season. As the underdog, the Sabres have gone 20-27-5, and they have lost four straight games in games where they were the underdog. In their last ten games, Buffalo has gone 5-5, and they are 2-3 in their last five games.
On the offensive side, the Sabres are scoring an 3 goals per game this season, ranking 22nd in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 14th in the league. This year, the Sabres have recorded a 21-22 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. For games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 15-16 record.
Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen comes into the game having made 51 starts this season. So far, his record is 27-22 and he has a save percentage of 0.921%.
At home this season, the Lightning have gone 24-10-5 and have been favored in 49 of their 80 games. In the Eastern Conference, Tampa Bay is in 6th place and 4th in the Atlantic Division. Overall, the Lightning have a record of 44-28-8, including a mark of 30-16-3 as the favorite.
Over their last ten games, the Lightning have gone 6-4, and in their last five, they have gone 2-3. In their last three games, Tampa Bay has gone 1-2. On the year, the Lightning have scored 96 points.
Offensively, the Lightning come into the game at 3.5 goals per contest placing 4th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 22nd position in the league. This season, the Lightning are 25-14 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 18-11 record.
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy gets the start and has made 51 starts this season. His record at this point is 30-19, and his save percentage is 0.877%.
Even though they are considered 1.5-goal underdogs, our projection points to a 4-3 win for the Sabres.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Betting Tips
- We like the Sabres on the moneyline (+141)
- 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 – Undisclosed – Questionable
- Brent Seabrook – Shoulder/Back/Hip – Out
- Jonas Johansson – Lower Body – Questionable
- Tyler Motte – Lower Body – Questionable
- Mikhail Sergachev – Leg – Out
- Logan Brown – Undisclosed – Out
Buffalo Sabres Injury Report
- Mattias Samuelsson – Upper Body – Out
