It is a major Thursday night in the NHL with 13 games, including a contest between the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks. It has been a rough go for both teams this season, but I expect both to be hungry for what they should each see as an achievable win.

This is the first of two matchups this season and the NHL odds have the Sabres as slight -115 favourites. 

Sabres vs. Canucks NHL Betting Odds

The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks meet twice every season. Last season, the teams split the season series, but Vancouver has posted a 4-1-0 record against the Sabres in their last five meetings. 

On the puck line, both the Canucks and Sabres are 13-17. As for the game totals, Buffalo is 13-15-2 to the over, while Vancouver is 18-10-2. 

Tage Thompson (+145) and Alex Tuch (+200) lead the way for Buffalo in goal-scoring odds, while Brock Boeser (+175) and Jake DeBrusk (+200) are at the top of the list for Vancouver.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have endured yet another tough season. They stand with a record of 12-14-4, which has them last in the Eastern Conference and tied with the fourth-least points in the entire NHL. Poor performance has continued yet again for this team.

The Sabres are coming off an impressive 4-3 overtime win over a stronger Edmonton Oilers team, but previous to that, they lost three straight games and were outscored 16-7. I am not close to being convinced that their recent win will start a run of any kind, as this team is filled with issues.

Jason Zucker and Michael Kesserling are out with injury for Buffalo, but other than that, they are quite healthy. This game presents a good opportunity for two points, but they will have to show up ready.

Vancouver Canucks

Things cannot get much worse for the Vancouver Canucks. At 11-16-3, they sit last overall in the entire NHL with just 25 points. Thirty games into the season, they have very little going for them. They have home-ice advantage in this game, but will this even help? They are 1-5-1 in their last seven home games. 

Injuries have been a major factor this year. Starting goaltender Thatcher Demko is back after being out for a significant period of time and looks to play for the first time since November 11th. His performance after that time off is a question, and the team is also still without Filip Chytil, Derek Forbort, and Teddy Blueger, hindering an already shallow team.

Trade talks are swirling, wins are extremely hard to come by, fans are becoming restless and the organization is in shambles. Vancouver urgently needs this win.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Sabres vs. Canucks?

Even though the Sabres are coming off a nice win against Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers, I like the Canucks can take this one. They should have major urgency to not only win, but to perform well on home ice. The return of starting goaltender Thatcher Demko could be a spark to the team, as they will look to be steady for him. In what would be their second win in three games, I expect the Vancouver Canucks to win 4-3.

SABRES

Away

3

CANUCKS

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