Flames vs Sabres Odds
| Flames Odds | -108 |
| Sabres Odds | -111 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -120 / -102 |
To kick off Thursday's NHL slate, the Atlantic Division's Buffalo Sabres host the Pacific Division's Calgary Flames.
Playing in opposite conferences, these two clubs only squared off twice last year and split the pair of meetings.
Will Buffalo defend its home ice, or can Calgary snap its mini two-game losing skid?
Here's a look at the Flames vs Sabres odds, as well as my betting pick and prediction.
Calgary Flames
We are going to target a player prop in tonight's matchup.
Specifically, we're going to take a shot on Calgary forward Jonathan Huberdeau under 0.5 points, which is available at +100 via DraftKings.
After recording three points over the first two games of the campaign, Huberdeau was held off the scoresheet in his latest outing against the Washington Capitals. He still carries a negative expected goals differential into this contest.
Place your Flames vs Sabres bets with our DraftKings promo code!
We saw the Mangiapane-Lindholm-Huberdeau line take a step back in terms of ice time in that aforementioned game against the Caps, logging fewer minutes than the Coleman-Backlund-Coronato and Dube-Kadri-Ruzicka lines.
This could be a common trend moving forward, especially in games against good offensive teams due to that line's poor ability when playing in its own zone.
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo's strength is certainly in its fast-paced and explosive offense. However, a key focus for this group is to improve its defensive play from last season, which is why they brought in Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson over the offseason.
This decision has paid off greatly thus far, and that pairing leads the team in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 5-on-5.
In fact, the team as a whole ranks 11th in the league in xGA/60 at 5-on-5, which is markedly better than last year.
Backing up this improved defense is goaltender Devon Levi, who would have been one of the favorite preseason picks to win the Calder Trophy had this not been Connor Bedard's rookie season. Levi projects to be one of the league's next elite goaltenders, and he has played the part thus far.
Through his first 10 career starts, Levi owns a .901 SV% and 2.95 GAA. He's coming off a good outing against a much stronger Tampa Bay Lightning offense, allowing just two goals on 23 shots for a .913 SV%.
Flames vs Sabres
Betting Pick & Prediction
There are a few reasons why I like to fade Huberdeau in this spot:
- He still carries a negative expected goals differential.
- The Mangiapane-Lindholm-Huberdeau line has seen some decreasing minutes.
- Buffalo's improved defense
- Levi
He was held off the scoresheet in the latest outing against Washington, and at plus-money, I'll take a shot on that occurring again in this matchup on the road against an improving Buffalo squad.
Pick: Jonathan Huberdeau Under 0.5 Points (+100 | Play to -110)
