Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins Game 3 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
After stealing a game in Buffalo, the Boston Bruins are headed back home for Game 3 on Thursday night with the series knotted at 1-1.
After an insane comeback win by the Sabres in the series opener, the Bruins were able to close out Game 2 on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory. Boston’s veterans played the game at their preferred pace in the win and completely changed the vibe inside KeyBank Arena.
The NHL odds have Game 3 set as a pick ’em, with the OVER/UNDER set at an even 6.0 goals. Bruins fans will make TD Garden a tough spot to play on Thursday night, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. EST.
Sabres vs. Bruins NHL Betting Odds
The Sabres opened the series as the favourite in Games 1 and 2, but with the shift to Boston, the odds are even in Game 3. Of the 120 minutes of play so far, the Bruins have held the lead for almost 80 minutes, compared to the Sabres’ 3:24. The first two games of the series have not touched the UNDER, with the total set at six in both contests.
Buffalo is still the favourite to win this series at -150, down from a -333 favourite entering Game 2. Before the Bruins won, the favoured series outcome was a 4-1 win for Buffalo, but that line has since moved to a 4-3 series win for Buffalo.
It is no surprise that David Pastrnak is leading the way for this Bruins’ offence, picking up five points (1G, 4A) to lead the series in scoring. He had three points in Game 1 and followed it up with a pair of assists in Game 2. He is the -180 favourite to finish the series with the most points.
High shot volume has been the Sabres’ offensive approach to this point, and Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch are providing that with 13 and seven shots, respectively. Bet on them to have three or more shots on goal in every game of the series; Thompson pays +165 and Tuch +975.
Buffalo Sabres
Being the younger team in the series, the Sabres must be happy with a 1-1 split to open their first playoff series since 2011. The troubling part for them would have to be losing home ice advantage and the way they got themselves into the situation. Game 1 was troubling, before their incredible comeback, but they were unable to take that momentum into Game 2. They have yet to score first in the series, and have not had a lead in the first 55 minutes of either game.
After finishing the first period 0-0 in Game 2, the Sabres went on to give up four straight goals, before getting late third-period goals from Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs. The comeback fell short despite the Sabres peppering the Bruins with 20 shots in the third period.
Starting goalie Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen was pulled early in the third period after the Bruins scored their fourth goal, and was replaced by Alex Lyon. Luukkonen was leaky on Tuesday, giving up one of the worst playoff goals in recent memory. A backhand shot from behind the red line somehow snuck past his glove to make it 2-0 after a bit of shaky goal to open the scoring. Lyon stopped all seven shots he faced and could possibly get the start in Boston.
Boston Bruins
After playing a near-perfect road game in Game 1, the Bruins were able to finish the job in Game 2, holding off the Sabres’ third-period push. Head coach Marco Sturm was happy with his team’s play in five of the six periods thus far as they head to Boston with home ice advantage in this now best-of-five situation.
Veteran Viktor Arvidsson opened the scoring for Boston, scoring his first of the series 4:54 into the second. Morgan Geekie put the Bruins up 2-0 on a floater from centre ice, before Pavel Zacha’s power play goal gave them a 3-0 lead heading into the third. Arvidsson scored his second of the night just 16 seconds into the final frame, giving his team a very comfortable 4-0 lead.
Jeremy Swayman had another spectacular performance in Game 2, stopping 33 of 35 shots, which included over 56 minutes of shutout hockey. He has stopped 68 of 73 shots in the series, good for a .932 save percentage. He has yet to give up any goals in the first 40 minutes of Games 1 and 2.
Boston is winning the special teams battle thus far, going 9/9 on the penalty kill, paired with a 25 per cent power play, going 2-for-8.
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