The Buffalo Sabres (9-9-1) and Anaheim Ducks (8-8-2) meet Friday at 10 p.m. (ESPN+) at the Honda Center. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook NHL odds around the Sabres vs. Ducks odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Anaheim swept 2-0 last season
The Sabres went 5-for-5 in killing off power plays in a 1-0 win at the LA Kings Wednesday. Buffalo scored the game’s lone goal on a power play and won despite logging just 19 shots on frame.
Anaheim last played Tuesday, completing a 2-0-0 road trip with a 3-2 triumph at the Chicago Blackhawks. The Ducks have won 3 straight and gone 4-1-0 since an ugly 1-5-1 stretch Oct. 26-Nov. 8.
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Sabres at Ducks odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 8:47 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Sabres -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Ducks +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Sabres -1.5 (+170) | Ducks +1.5 (-210)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Sabres at Ducks projected goalies
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (7-4-1, 2.61 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Lukas Dostal (5-6-2, 2.69 GAA, .924 SV%, 1 SO)
Luukkonen pitched a 23-save shutout in Wednesday’s win against the Kings. The 25-year-old owns a sparkling .935 SV% across 6 November appearances.
Dostal last played Monday, stopping 34-of-36 in a 4-2 win at the Dallas Stars. Per Hockey-Reference.com, Dostal’s 10.4 goals-saved-above-average mark leads the NHL.
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Sabres at Ducks picks and predictions
Prediction
Ducks 3, Sabres 2
Moneyline
Buffalo is at a rest disadvantage and has yielded 3.43 goals per Game on 1 day of rest (compared to its overall mark of 3.21 GPG). The Sabres have their power play cranked up of late (33.3% since Nov. 5) but have not been generating as many quality looks in even-strength over recent Games.
The Anaheim penalty kill has been awful (68.8%), but the Ducks make up for that by being a top-5 club in penalty avoidance. Mix in Dostal between the pipes, and ANAHEIM (+128) is the value side here.
Puck line/Against the spread
Lots of juice disrupting these prices: AVOID.
Over/Under
Almost no lean here. Buffalo’s offensive numbers are not matched by support analytics, and the same holds true for the Anaheim defense.
Give the value edge to the UNDER 6.5 (-130) on the strength of the likely goalie matchup and some overall overestimation of the Sabre offense.
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