Buffalo Sabres (22-24-4) vs St. Louis Blues (26-21-2)
February 10, 2024 at 01:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Buffalo Sabres -134 / St. Louis Blues +112 — Over/Under: 6.5
The St. Louis Blues will play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. St. Louis has won five of their last six games, while Buffalo has won two of their last three. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Blues vs Sabres prediction.
Blues Preview
The St. Louis Blues are 26-21-2 this season after they lost to Columbus by a score of 1-0 in their last game. St. Louis allowed the only goal of the game in the third period for the shutout loss. The Blues were out shot by a total of 22-21 and went 0-3 on the power play in the game. St. Louis had won their previous five games against Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, and Washington. The Blues are scoring 2.84 goals per game and they are allowing 3.10 goals against per game, while going 15.2% on the power play and 78.3% on the penalty kill. Robert Thomas has led St. Louis with 17 goals, 35 assists, and 99 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for St. Louis is Jordan Binnington, who is 17-13-2 this season with a 2.92 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
Sabres Preview
The Buffalo Sabres are 22-24-4 this year after they lost to Dallas by a score of 2-1 in their last game. Buffalo tied the game at one in the second period, but they allowed the game winning goal about three minutes later for the loss. The Sabres out shot Dallas by a total of 48-30 and went 1-4 on the power play in the game. Buffalo defeated San Jose by a score of 5-2 and LA by a score of 5-3 in the two games prior to Dallas. The Sabres are scoring 2.94 goals per game and they are allowing 3.12 goals against per game, while going 14.4% on the power play and 80% on the penalty kill. Casey Mittelstadt has led Buffalo with 12 goals, 30 assists, and 82 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Buffalo is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who is 12-12-2 this year with a 2.58 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.
Buffalo Sabres Team Facts
- The Sabres have won eight of their last nine home games following a home loss.
- The Sabres have covered the puck line in six of their last seven games against the Blues at KeyBank Center.
- The Sabres have won the third period in each of their last four games as favorites.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in each of the last seven games between the Blues and Sabres.
St. Louis Blues Team Facts
- The Blues have won each of their last four games as underdogs.
- The Blues have covered the puck line in each of their last four games as underdogs.
- The Blues have lost the third period in three of their last four games against opponents on a winning streak.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in eight of the Blues’ last nine games as underdogs.
Buffalo Sabres Player Prop Facts
- John-Jason Peterka has scored a goal in each of the Sabres’ last three games as home favorites against Central Division opponents.
- Jeff Skinner has recorded at least one point in nine of his last 10 appearances with the Sabres as home favorites.
- Jeff Skinner has recorded at least one assist in four of his last five appearances against Central Division opponents at KeyBank Center.
- Peyton Krebs has recorded two points against the Blues this season – most against any opponent.
St. Louis Blues Player Prop Facts
- Brayden Schenn has scored at least one goal in four of the Blues’ last five games against the Sabres.
- Brandon Saad has recorded at least one point in each of his eight previous appearances against the Sabres at KeyBank Center.
- Robert Thomas has recorded at least one assist in each of the Blues’ last four games as underdogs.
- Pavel Buchnevich has the equal-most Shorthanded Goals for the Blues this season (2).
Matchup/League Facts
- The Buffalo Sabres rank 30th in the league for Period 1 goals scored per game this season (0.70).
- The Buffalo Sabres rank 3rd in the league for Period 3 goals allowed per game this season (0.82).
- The St. Louis Blues rank T1st in the league in short handed goals this season (11).
- The St. Louis Blues are one of only six teams to win 3+ games when trailing after Period 2 this season.
Blues vs Sabres Betting Prediction
St. Louis finished the first half of the season with a bad home loss to Columbus, but they played pretty well over the last two months. The Blues are not a very high scoring team, as they are only scoring 2.84 goals per game, but they have scored four goals in four straight games. Buffalo is the second to worst team in the Atlantic Division, but they have won two of their last three games. The Sabres are only 11-13-1 at home, but they do have the advantage in this game, as they have played since the break, while the Blues have been off since January 30th. I really don’t like Buffalo this season, but I am worried about how the Blues will play after being off for so long. I think we see a lower scoring game and I am going to take the under here.