Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins Best Bets and Prediction

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07 December 2023

Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins Best Bets and Prediction

The Boston Bruins (17-4-3), first in the NHL standings for the Atlantic Division, host the struggling Buffalo Sabres (10-14-2), seventh in the Atlantic, in the second meeting between the two teams this season. Boston beat Buffalo 5-2 on November 14. Their game on the NHL schedule today is their first of two this month – Buffalo hosts the Bruins on December 27.

Sabres vs Bruins Picks

Pick 1: Bruins -1.5 (-102)
Pick 2: Under 6.5 (-130)

Rookie Devon Levi (3.73 GAA, .876 save percentage) is expected to start in goal for the Sabres, while Linus Ullmark (2.65 GAA, .918 save percentage) is likely to start for the Bruins. Let’s take a closer look at the NHL odds for the game and some of the potential Sabres vs Bruins best bets.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins Odds

Sabres vs. Bruins Information

Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins

Location of the game: TD Garden. Boston, Massachusetts.

Date & Time: Thursday, December 7. 7:00 p.m. ET.

How to Watch: ESPN+ | Sportsnet (Canada)

Recent Scores

Buffalo has lost four NHL matchups in a row and is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games, falling from one of the NHL picks to make the playoffs to a potential lottery selection.
The Sabres are coming off of a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings and were outscored 19-10 during their four-game losing streak.
It has been relatively easy making Boston Bruins predictions as the team doesn’t seem to lose.
The Bruins did have a rough patch last week, losing three in a row, but have since won three consecutive games and are among the NHL picks today to win the Stanley Cup.
They’ve allowed just four goals in their last three games.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins Analysis

Boston is better than Buffalo in almost all NHL stats heading into their matchup on Thursday. When looking at the Sabres vs Bruins best bets, Boston has scored more goals per game (3.33 to 2.85), allowed fewer goals (2.46 to 3.46), generated more shots (31.8 to 29.2), and has a better power-play and penalty kill. In fact, the Bruins have the league’s best penalty-kill at 89 percent efficiency, while the Sabres are tied for 13th at 81.2 percent.

The only area in which the Sabres are better than the Bruins is shots allowed (29.8 to 31.8). Unfortunately, they don’t have the same level of goaltending as the Bruins. Levi, in particular, has struggled, recently returning from a one-week stint in the minors to find his game.

He backed up Eric Comrie on Tuesday against Detroit. Buffalo’s other goalie, Ukko-Peka Luukkonen, has been better, but was out with an illness earlier this week and it’s unclear if he’ll play against the Bruins.

Struggling to Match Previous Prowess

Casey Mittlestadt, one of the Buffalo Sabres stars, leads the Sabres in NHL player stats with 22 points (6 goals, 16 assists), while Rasmus Dahlin is second with 21 points (6 goals, 15 assists).

Tage Thompson has been a bit of a disappointment after a breakout 94-point campaign in 2022-23; he has just 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in 17 games this season. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists). Brad Marchand, second in scoring with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists), has four goals in his last two games.

Dahlin could miss Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, while Jack Quinn, Jordan Greenway, Alex Tuch, and Zemgus Girgensons are also on the NHL injury report for the Sabres. Milan Lucic is away from the Bruins after being arraigned on an assault charge in November.

Odds Breakdown

Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres opened with +200 moneyline and +1.5 (-120) puck line odds for the Sabres vs Bruins best bets.
Boston Bruins: The Bruins are the betting favorites with NHL odds of -250 for the moneyline and -1.5 (-102) for the puck line. The over/under is 6.5.