Calgary Flames vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, NHL Odds
Both teams are hunting for the final playoff spot in their respective conferences heading into the final 30-ish games of the season.
The Flames have two more points in the standings, making them -126 favourite to win on Saturday. The NHL odds have the total set at 6.5.
Flames vs. Sabres NHL Betting Odds
There has not been any “home ice advantage” in recent matchups between Buffalo and Calgary, with the road team winning the past three meetings. Most recently, Alex Tuch’s first career hat trick led the Sabres to a 6-3 win in Calgary back in October. Saturday’s game will be their final meeting of the season and 55 per cent of early bettors are taking the underdogs in Buffalo to sweep the season series.
The Flames failed to cover the spread in their most recent 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, making their record ATS 21-31 on the season. No team in the Western Conference has been as bad as Calgary when it comes to the spread, which makes sense considering their lacklustre record after over half of the season. They have scored four goals or more in four of their past six matchups, helping them play the over 4-2 in that stretch.
Before the break, Buffalo had played three straight games to the Under, but only three Eastern Conference teams have played the Over more than them so far this season at 26-22-2 O/U. Scoring at a rate of 3.7 goals per game (third in the NHL) will certainly help in that regard. What has been a surprising regular season so far in Buffalo has helped them to an impressive 28-22 record ATS.
Calgary Flames
Calgary has suffered back-to-back one-goal losses upon their return from the All-Star break, losing 5-4 in overtime to the New York Rangers and most recently 2-1 in Detroit Thursday night.
Blake Coleman notched his 12th goal of the season, giving the Flames a 1-0 lead late in the second period versus the Red Wings. The lead lasted less than two minutes as the Wings would come to answer with a power play goal to even the score heading to the third. Dan Vladar was in net for the loss, stopping just 15 of the 17 shots thrown his way.
Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson was hit by a car while riding a scooter in Detroit on Wednesday, but is expected to be fine. Andersson is listed as day-to-day.
“It is not something we are overly concerned about”, said Flames GM Brad Treliving.
Calgary will wrap up its Eastern road trip by crossing the border in Ottawa to face the Senators Monday night.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres lost two in a row before their long 10-day hiatus for All-Star weekend. Before dropping back-to-back games, Buffalo was playing some of their best hockey of the season, winning five straight to keep them in the wildcard race.
The extra time off helped rising star Tage Thompson get back healthy as he left the team’s last game on Feb. 1 with an upper-body injury. He has already matched his career high from last season with 34 goals 34 assists through just 50 games. The 25-year-old had to miss his first-ever All-Star appearance due to the injury and was replaced by teammate Rasmus Dahlin.
At 22-years-old, Dahlin has been one of the best defencemen in the NHL this season, posting 55 points (14G, 41A) which is second among all blueliners. He now has the third-highest odds to win the Norris trophy this season.
Buffalo will get out of the cold on Monday when they set on a three-game California road trip starting in Los Angeles.
