The Anaheim Ducks (13-28-5) are on the road to face the Buffalo Sabres (22-19-3) at KeyBank Center on Saturday. Anaheim is coming off a high-scoring 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday, ending a five-game losing streak.
The Ducks committed only two penalties in the game, holding Columbus without a power play goal. Five players found the net for the Ducks. John Gibson had a great performance with 18 saves to earn his first shutout of the season.
Buffalo beat the Islanders 3-2 (OT) on Thursday. Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch, and Victor Olofsson each scored once for the Sabres. Rasmus Dahlin had two assists to lead the team in scoring. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen saved 24 of 26 shots.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 2-0 victory for the Ducks in December. Sam Carrick and Sonny Milano were on the scoresheet for Anaheim. Anthony Stolarz saved 25 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
Anaheim is averaging 2.33 goals per game for the season, worst in the NHL, and they are taking on a Sabres team that is allowing 3.45 goals a game (24th).
Meanwhile, Buffalo has found the net 3.75 times a game on average, second in the league, and will be looking to exploit the Ducks’ weak defense, which is allowing opponents to score a league-worst 4.15 goals per game.
Look for a few power play opportunities for the Sabres, as the Ducks are averaging 4.63 penalties per game, third-most in the NHL. The visitors’ 11.50 penalty minutes a game ranks fourth-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.70 times a game (22nd) for an average of 7.93 minutes (27th).
The Ducks’ 15.44% power play percentage is the third-lowest in the league, while the Sabres rank sixth with a conversion rate of 26.25%. Anaheim has been equally poor at penalty killing, as the away team possesses the league’s third-lowest PK% at 72.22%. Buffalo’s 73.72% ranks 27th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras have been the top skaters for the Ducks this season with 38 and 37 points. In the net, Stolarz (3-6-0) is Anaheim’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.89 GAA and a .893% save percentage.
Gibson (7-19-4) leads the Ducks in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 4.14 and a save percentage of .895%. Tage Thompson leads the Sabres in scoring with 60 points (7th in the league). He has 32 goals (3rd in the league) and 28 assists.
Craig Anderson (7-6-2) has the best goals against average for Buffalo at 2.78. He has a save percentage of .917%. Luukkonen (10-5-1) has played the most games in net for the Sabres this season. He has a 3.47 GAA and a .895% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Anaheim is 5-15-4 away from home this season. Buffalo is 10-12-2 at KeyBank Center this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Buffalo Sabres (-250)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
