If there was ever a matchup between two teams with very different visions for the remainder of their season, it would be this matchup. The St. Louis Blues find themselves in 2nd place in the Central Division with 66 points on the season, while the Sabres are in 2nd to last place in the Atlantic Division with a lackluster 40 points.
St. Louis has been playing above-average hockey as of late, and their 6-3-1 record in their last ten games has shown that. Forward, Vladimir Tarasenko is currently day to day with an injury, but when he is in the lineup, he is a major part of this team’s offensive production and success.
The Sabres have simply been trying to find an identity and positives to build off of for the next season and beyond. They have a young core, and a new crop of draft picks that will soon be headed up to Buffalo. Forward Tage Thompson has been on fire as of late with his five goals in his last five games for the Sabres.
The puck line for this matchup has the Blues as a -1.5 with -110 odds while the Sabres are +1.5 with -110 odds. The money line shows St. Louis as the -310 heavy favorite and the Sabres as a +245 heavy underdog.
The over/under for this contest is set at six goals. The over play has -105 odds while the under choice holds -115.
St. Louis Blues Betting Preview
St. Louis has played themselves right into the thick of things to be a Stanley Cup contender once again. They are top ten in the NHL in both goals for and goals-against average per game this season. Their balanced attack makes it difficult for opposing teams to gameplan against them.
Forwards Tarasenko and Robert Thomas are just two parts to this successful offensive attack. Tarasenko leads the team with 46 points and 19 goals. Thomas is an assist machine with his team-leading 33 helpers on the year.
The play between the pipes by goaltender Ville Husso has been tremendous. The 27-year-old netminder has a 12-3-2 record with a 1.97 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Just another bright spot for this deep St. Louis team.
Buffalo Sabres Betting Preview
The Sabres once again find themselves near the bottom of the NHL standings. Surely this rebuild is going to take some time to grow, and their management knows it. With the trade deadline looming, some of the Sabres veteran pieces could be on the move.
Buffalo is in the bottom quarter of the NHL in both goals for and goals-against average this year. The most telling statistic is the fact that they are dead last in faceoff percentage. It truly is hard to compete and win games if a team is always chasing the puck after faceoffs.
Forward Tage Thompson leads the way for this young group with his 38 points from his 20 goals and 18 assists. The defenseman Rasmus Dahlin leads the Sabres in assists with his 25 helpers on the year. The Sabres have a young core; it will simply be a few years until this core matures into a consistent playoff contender.
Betting Prediction
Simply looking at the standings and the personnel on both of these rosters, it would be safe to say that the Blues should handle business at home against the Sabres. From the betting side of things in this contest, it surely would be beneficial to see which play would give someone their most bang for their buck.
St. Louis is on a two-game winning streak, and in both of those games, they have exceeded the puck line. Those two games were also on the road for St. Louis. At home against the reeling Sabres, look deeply at taking the puck line for the Blues in this matchup.
Prediction: Blues -1.5 (-110)
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