Sabres vs. Bruins prediction, odds, pick – 12/21/2024

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The Buffalo Sabres will head to Beantown on Saturday to face the Boston Bruins. It’s an Atlantic Division showdown at the TD Garden as we share our NHL odds series and make a Sabres-Bruins prediction and pick.

It will be the first time the Sabres and Bruins face one another this season. Significantly, the Bruins have gone 50-25 over the past 75 games. The Bruins are also 8-1-1 over their past 10 games against the Sabres. Additionally, they have gone 3-1-1 over their past five games against the Sabres at home.

Here are the Sabres-Bruins NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Sabres-Bruins Odds

Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-172)

Moneyline: +150

Boston Bruins: -1.5 (+140)

Moneyline: -182

Over: 5.5 (-132)

Under: 5.5 (+108)

How To Watch Sabres vs Bruins

Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT

TV: ESNP+, MSG, and NESN

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Why the Sabres Could Cover the Spread/Win

The Sabres are in the middle of one of the worst stretches of hockey imaginable, losing 11 straight games going into Friday. Unfortunately, Buffalo laid a huge egg earlier this week, falling 6-1 to the Montreal Canadiens, showing that a visit from owner Terry Pegula had no effect. The offense must do more.

Alex Tuch leads the team with nine goals and 16 assists. However, he has netted just two goals and two assists during the 11-game slump. The Sabres need Tuch to perform to give them the best chance to shock the Bruins on the road. Additionally, they need Tage Thompson to perform. Thompson currently has 16 goals and nine assists. Significantly, he has netted five goals and two assists during the 11-game stretch, but the Sabres need more from him. Jason Zucker is another player who needs to do more, as he has eight goals and 13 assists. Likewise, JJ Peterka has the same stats as Zucker and must build on recent performances.

The Sabres are just 22nd in goals and 24th in assists. Likewise, they are just 21st in shooting percentage. Buffalo has also struggled on the powerplay, ranking 30th in powerplay percentage.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen likely gets the start and comes in with a record of 8-10-3 with a 3.00 goals-against average and a save percentage of .896. He will back a defense that is 26th in goals against. Also, they have struggled to kill penalties, ranking 22nd on the penalty kill.

The Sabres will cover the spread if Tuch and Thompson can maneuver some room on the ice and fill the net with shots. Then, the Sabres must defend the crease and prevent players like David Pastrnak from getting clean shots.

Why the Bruins Could Cover the Spread/Win

The Bruins have started to play better. Overall, they are 6-2-1 in nine games in December after a sluggish November. While they finished a five-game road trip with an overtime loss, they still went 2-2-1.

Things are not perfect in Boston, but Pastrnak and the offense are starting to play better. So far, Pastrnak has 12 goals and 21 assists while also converting four powerplay goals. Pastrnak almost had the game-winner against the Edmonton Oilers but fell short. Meanwhile, Brad Marchand had an apple against the Oilers and now sits at 13 goals and 12 assists. Elias Lindholm also had a goal on Thursday and will look to improve on a season where he has just four goals and 12 assists. Yet, there is so much more the offense can do.

The Bruins need more help from other players in the lineup. If the rumors are accurate, guys like Trent Frederic may get traded by the end of the month. Frederic currently slots on the third line and is a vital part of a team with only one productive line.

The Bruins are 24th in goals and 26th in assists. Additionally, they have struggled to shoot the puck, ranking 28th in shooting percentage. Boston has not had a good powerplay, ranking second to worst on the extra-man attack.

Jeremy Swayman will start and come in with a record of 11-10-3 with a 3.13 goals-against with a save percentage of .887. He will back a defense that is 26th in goals against. Furthermore, they have been inconsistent at killing penalties, ranking 21st on the penalty kill.

The Bruins will cover the spread if Pastrnak and Marchand get open shooting lanes. Then, the defense must continually close the gaps.

Final Sabres-Bruins Prediction & Pick

The Sabres are 15-15 against the spread, while the Bruins are 10-24. Moreover, the Sabres are 6-7 against the spread on the road, while the Bruins are 4-13 against the odds at home. The Sabres are also 16-9-5 against the over/under, while the Bruins are 17-16-1 against the over/under.

While the Sabres are in an awful stretch, they are still playing well enough, for the most part, to cover the spread. Therefore, I see them covering the spread on the road.

Final Sabres-Bruins Prediction & Pick: Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-172)

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