Sabres vs Bruins Prediction, Preview, Odds and Picks, Mar. 02
Bruins Can Hit 100-Point Mark
The Boston Bruins looked physically and emotionally spent when they wrapped up a four-game road trip against Pacific Division opponents against Calgary on Tuesday night. Only the remarkable 54-save performance from goaltender Linus Ullmark kept Boston from seeing its winning streak snapped.
Will the Bruins have a little more energy as they return home in quest of a ninth consecutive win against a Buffalo team trying to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference? Boston can reach 100 points with a win or an overtime loss.
Buffalo already owns a win at TD Garden this season as Alex Tuch capped a four-point game with the overtime winner on Dec. 31. However, Tuch, who is second on the Sabres with 28 goals, is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury while defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is questionable after missing the last two games. Dahlin is third among NHL defensemen with 62 points. It is uncertain whether defenseman Riley Stillman, who was just acquired by the Sabres, will be in the lineup.
Wingers Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno are questionable for the Bruins while center Tomas Nosek remains out.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Bruins (+450) continue to have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup title. Buffalo is well back at +12500.
Let’s check the latest NHL news, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Sabres vs Bruins. We’ve got plenty of NHL picks for you to consider.
No Slowing Down Thompson
Expectations were pretty high for Tage Thompson after he scored 38 times during the 2021-22 season.
However, he has exceeded all of that this season. Thompson already has set career highs with 41 goals and 80 points. He is on pace to score 57 goals and add 54 assists. The 57 goals would be the most by any American-born player, topping the mark of Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins set during the 1992-93 season. The 111 points would match what Stevens had during that season.
Thompson comes into the game with points in each of his last seven games. He has six goals and five assists as Buffalo is 5-2-0 during that stretch.
Four of Buffalo’s last five games have finished over the Las Vegas odds total.
Blue-liners Delivering
The rest of the NHL must be thrilled to see that the Bruins added another offensive threat on defense.
Already with two of the top offensive-minded defenseman in Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, former Washington Capitals standout Dmitry Orlov has wasted little time fitting in.
In his first three games with the Bruins, he has two goals and three assists. Both of those goals came in Tuesday’s win at Calgary when Boston won in overtime despite being outshot 57-20.
It was McAvoy who put the finishing touches on the win with the game-winning goal with 4.3 seconds left in overtime of 4-3 win.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 1, 2023
During Boston’s eight-game winning streak, McAvoy leads the Bruins with nine assists and 10 points. Lindholm has a goal and six assists.
The Bruins got 31 goals and 123 assists from their defensemen in 82 games last season. The total is at 30 goals and 120 assists through 60 games this season.
Six of Boston’s last nine games have gone under the NHL betting lines total.
Sabres vs Bruins Game Injuries
Sabres vs Bruins Head-to-Head
Boston had won seven games in a row against the Sabres before falling in overtime on Dec. 31. That was just the second in the last 10 meetings to finish as a one-goal game.
Seven of the last 10 games between the Sabres and Bruins finished over the total.
The Bruins are 9-0-1 in the last 10 home games versus the Sabres, with the last regulation win for Buffalo in Boston coming in 2018. That was the same year when Buffalo last won back-to-back games against the Bruins.
Sabres vs Bruins Game Information
- Game: Sabres (31-24-4) vs Bruins (47-8-5)
- Location: TD Garden, Boston
- Day/Time: Thursday, Mar. 2, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Sabres vs Bruins Live Stream: NHL.TV
Sabres vs Bruins Betting Lines
Sabres vs Bruins Picks and Prediction
Boston has more wins at home than six NHL teams have both at home and on the road, so the Sabres will have quite the challenge. One thing working in Buffalo’s favour is that the Bruins are returning from a four-game road trip out west.
During Boston’s eight-game winning streak, Buffalo is 5-2-0 so this has the makings of a top-notch matchup. The Bruins have converted on only 15.4% of their power plays over those eight games. However, Buffalo is 26th in success rate on the penalty kill during that span.
David Pastrnak has matched his season-long goal-scoring drought of three games as he remains stuck on 42 goals.
Boston is 40-8-5 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Buffalo is 19-21-3 as the underdog.
Boston is 17-12 against the spread (ATS) at home while Buffalo has covered in just 20 of its 29 games on the road.
With a moneyline of -300, it probably isn’t worth going with the Bruins to win another game at home. However, with Boston and Buffalo ranking second and third in goals scored, it could be worth picking the game to go over 6½ goals.
The Boston Bruins are listed at -300 in our Las Vegas odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Bruins, you have a chance to win $33. Buffalo is +250, offering a chance to win $250 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Boston Bruins a 75.00% chance to win, with the Buffalo Sabres at 28.57%.
