Edmonton Oilers vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, NHL Odds
The Buffalo Sabres open a four-game homestand Monday night, as they host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
After losing five in a row, the Sabres got back in the win column on Saturday and will hope to gather momentum as they begin their longest homestand so far this season.
The Oilers are in the midst of a seven-game road trip, their longest of the season and have gotten off to a 2-1 start.
The NHL odds have the Oilers as the -160 favourites to win on Monday, with the total sitting at an even six goals.
Puck drop from Canadian Tire Centre is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Oilers vs. Sabres NHL Betting Odds
Monday will be the only visit to Buffalo for the Oilers this season, and they will wrap up their season series versus the Sabres at home on Dec. 9. They have split each season series of their past four years, hitting the OVER just twice in those eight meetings. Buffalo is surprisingly good at shutting down McDavid, holding him to just 19 points in 16 career games, his lowest points per game versus any opponent in his career.
The Oilers have won three of their past four games, but have covered the spread just once in that stretch. Their slow start to the season has seen them cover the spread only six times in their 20 appearances. Most of the Oilers trouble stems from having the 26th worst goals-against average, giving up 3.4 goals per game. They have hit the OVER in 11 games so far, including five of their past six games.
There is a short list of teams who are worse defensively than the Oilers, but the Sabres are definitely on that list, allowing 3.56 per game, ranking 30th in the league. Their offence is not much better, ranking eighth-lowest, but they still hit the OVER in most games, posting a 10-6-2 record on the O/U. Buffalo covered the spread on Saturday, after failing to do so in four straight. They are 7-11 on the year in that column.
Edmonton Oilers
With a big overtime win on Saturday in Carolina, the Oilers improved to 5-6 on the road, winning their second of three games to begin their seven-game road trip. They got off to a hot start, scoring twice in the first 6:30 of the game. The Canes tied the game early in the second period and each squad scored again the third, bringing the game to overtime knotted at three. Leon Draisaitl netted the winner less than 20 seconds into overtime, boosting the Oilers record to 9-7-4 on the campaign.
It was the big guns who powered Edmonton to the win, with McDavid (2G, 1A) and Draisaitl (1G 2A) each notching three points. In net, Stuart Skinner made a season-high 33 saves to extend his win streak to three straight games. Despite Edmonton being outside the playoff picture after 20 games, the NHL futures board still has the Oilers as the fifth-favourite to win the Stanley Cup, paying +900. At 22 points in the standings, they sit fifth place in the Pacific Division having played more games than any other team in the division.
Buffalo Sabres
After losing five straight, the Sabres ended a four-game road trip on a high, taking down the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. It looked bleak early on for Buffalo as they found themselves down 4-1 before the midway point of the game. Josh Doan’s fifth goal of the season late in the second period, sparked the teams comeback as they would score two in the third to send the game to extra time.
Defenceman Mattias Samuelsson was the overtime hero, scoring his third of the season to give the Sabres their first road win of the year.
Captain Rasmus Dahlin made his return after taking a leave from the team to be with his sick fiancee. He put up a pair of assists in his return, getting his season total up to 11 points (1G 10A) in 15 games.
Goaltender Colten Ellis was in net on Saturday, getting the third start of his NHL career. His 24 stops were enough to boost his record to 2-1. The 25-year-old rookie is part of the Sabres current three-goalie rotation with Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
EDM
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