Sabres vs Lightning Prediction NHL Picks 2/29/24
The Buffalo Sabres will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Buffalo has won three of their last four games, while Tampa Bay has won two of their last three. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Sabres vs Lightning prediction.
Sabres Preview
The Buffalo Sabres are 27-28-4 this year after they lost to Florida by a score of 3-2 in their last game. Buffalo led 1-0 early in the first period, but allowed the next three goals in the loss. The Sabres were out shot by a total of 37-30 and went 1-4 on the power play in the game. Buffalo had won their previous three games against Carolina, Columbus, and Montreal. The Sabres are scoring 2.88 goals per game and they are allowing 3.00 goals against per game, while going 15.2% on the power play and 79.1% on the penalty kill. Rasmus Dahlin has led Buffalo with 14 goals, 30 assists, and 178 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Buffalo is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who is 17-15-2 this season with a 2.47 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.
Lightning Preview
The Tampa Bay Lightning are 32-24-5 this season after they lost to Philadelphia by a score of 6-2 in their last game. Tampa Bay tied the game at one in the second period, but they allowed five third period goals for the loss. The Lightning were out shot by a total of 31-22 and went 0-2 on the power play in the game. Tampa Bay defeated the Devils by a score of 4-1 and the Islanders by a score of 4-2 in the two games prior to Philadelphia. The Lightning are scoring 3.38 goals per game and they are allowing 3.39 goals against per game, while going 29% on the power play and 80.7% on the penalty kill. Nikita Kucherov has led Tampa Bay with 38 goals, 65 assists, and 248 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Tampa Bay is Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is 20-15-0 this year with a 2.99 goals against average and a .896 save percentage.
Sabres vs Lightning Betting Prediction
Buffalo comes into this game after winning three of their last four games and they play their best hockey on the road, where they are 14-12-3 this year. Tampa Bay has had some issues on the road, but they are one of the best home teams in the league, going 18-8-3 on home ice. The Lightning have been a decent offensive team this year, but they are allowing 3.39 goals against per game on defense. This is the third meeting between these teams this year, with each team winning a game so far. The Sabres are playing strong hockey right now, but I can’t go against Tampa Bay on their home ice. Take the Lightning here.
