The league’s top two offenses are set to meet at KeyBank Center on Saturday, as the Buffalo Sabres (7-7-0) play host to the Boston Bruins (12-2-0). Boston is coming off a 3-1 win over the Flames on Thursday.
The Bruins committed seven penalties in the game, though they held Calgary without a power play goal. David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Connor Clifton each scored once for the Bruins. Pastrnak added an assist to lead the team in scoring.
Linus Ullmark saved an impressive 31 of 32 shots (.968%) in the win. Buffalo dropped their fourth in a row, falling 7-4 to the Golden Knights on Thursday. Tage Thompson scored twice to lead the Sabres. Eric Comrie saved only 29 of 35 shots against (.828%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Bruins won all four games between the teams last season, including a 5-0 victory in their final meeting in April, their sixth straight win against Buffalo. Patrice Bergeron led Boston with four points (3G 1A). Ullmark saved 37 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
Boston is averaging 4.00 goals per game for the season, best in the NHL, and they are taking on a Sabres team that is allowing 3.50 goals a game (24th).
Meanwhile, Buffalo has found the net 3.86 times a game on average, second in the league, and will be looking to overpower the Bruins’ stout defense, which is holding opponents to 2.29 goals per game (2nd).
The Sabres’ 26.42% power play percentage ranks seventh in the league, while the Bruins are 12th with a conversion rate of 24.00%. Boston has been equally successful at penalty killing, boasting the league’s highest PK% at 94.12%. Buffalo ranks 25th at 74.42%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 22 points this season, fourth-most in the NHL, Pastrnak is the top skater for the Bruins. He is among the league leaders in both goals and assists, finding the net nine times (10th) and assisting 13 scores for this teammates (9th).
In the net, Ullmark (9-1-0) is Boston’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.05 GAA and a .932% save percentage. Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin lead the Sabres in scoring with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Thompson has 10 goals (10th) and eight assists in 14 games, while Dahlin has seven goals and 10 assists in 13 games. Craig Anderson (3-1-0) has the best goals against average for Buffalo at 2.25.
He has a save percentage of .927%. Comrie (4-5-0) has played the most games in net for the Sabres this season. He has a 3.35 GAA and a .892% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Boston is 4-2-0 away from home this season. Buffalo is 4-4-0 at KeyBank Center this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Buffalo Sabres (+150)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your hockey needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
