Matching up for the final time this season, the Buffalo Sabres and the expansion franchise Vegas Golden Knights face off at the KeyBank Center in an East-West matchup. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain will showcase the action, which gets underway at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 10.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Buffalo Sabres Odds
Vegas is 43-24 straight up (SU) and has earned 18.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 36 of its matches have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under and just two have pushed. This 2017-18 Golden Knights team is 19-15 SU on the road.
Vegas has converted on 21.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 16th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 80.8 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Vegas has been penalized just 3.3 times per game during the 2017-18 season, and 4.0 per game over its last five matchups. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 28.5 saves per game with a .928 save percentage, Marc-Andre Fleury (23-12-3) has been the best option in goal for Vegas this year. If it decides to rest him, however, the team may roll with Malcolm Subban (12-4-1 record, .912 save percentage, 2.59 goals against average).
Jonathan Marchessault and David Perron will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Golden Knights. Marchessault has 65 points via 22 goals and 43 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 20 different games. Perron has 16 goals and 44 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in 41 games).
Buffalo is 22-46 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 33 of its outings have gone under the total, while 31 have gone over and just four have pushed. This season, the team is 10-23 SU as the home team.
Buffalo has converted on just 17.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 26th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.0 percent of all penalties.
Buffalo players have been called for penalties 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Robin Lehner (27.0 saves per game) has been the top selection in goal for Buffalo. Lehner has 14 wins, 35 losses, and eight OT losses to his name and has recorded a .910 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average this season.
Jack Eichel (22 goals, 31 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Sabres.
Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
Power plays and penalty kills may be critical in this one. The Golden Knights are 16-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 32-15 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Sabres are 7-18 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 18-32 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Buffalo is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Vegas is 2-2 in shootouts.
Buffalo has created 6.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 5.5 takeaways per game (ranked 30th overall).
One of the league’s best when it comes to creating pressure on opposing offenses, Vegas is ranked third this season with 10.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as the team has created 9.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.0 takeaways over its last five.
Vegas could hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 17-12 in one-goal games, while Buffalo is only 10-21 in such games.
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