Free NHL Picks Today: Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning 11/28/22

The Tampa Bay Lightning (12-7-1) head to take on the Buffalo Sabres (9-12-0) at KeyBank Center on Monday. Tampa Bay is kicking off a four-game road trip coming off a 5-2 win over the Blues on Friday. The Lightning committed five penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.

Brayden Point was the top goalscorer for the Lightning with two goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy had a great performance with 25 saves (.925%) in the win. Buffalo fell 3-1 to the Devils on Friday. Victor Olofsson was the only player to score for the Sabres. Craig Anderson saved 41 of 44 shots (.931%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Lightning won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-3 victory on November 5, their third straight win against Buffalo. Nikita Kucherov led Tampa Bay with four points (1G 3A). Owen Power led Buffalo with two points (0G 2A). Brian Elliott got the win despite allowing three goals on 24 shots (.875%).

FACING OFF

Tampa Bay is averaging 3.45 goals per game for the season, eighth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Sabres team that is allowing 3.48 goals a game (25th). Meanwhile, Buffalo has found the net 3.62 times a game on average, fourth in the league, and the Lightning are allowing opponents to score 3.10 goals per game (17th).

The Sabres’ 25.93% power play percentage ranks sixth in the league, while the Lightning are seventh with a conversion rate of 25.64%. Buffalo has been poor at penalty killing, as the hosts possess the league’s fifth-lowest PK% at 73.13%. Tampa Bay’s 77.63% ranks 19th in the NHL.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 31 points this season, seventh-most in the NHL, Kucherov is the top skater for the Lightning. He is among the league leaders with 21 assists (7th) and has added 10 goals of his own. In the net, Vasilevskiy (7-6-1) is Tampa Bay’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.00 GAA and a .903% save percentage.

Tage Thompson leads the Sabres in scoring with 26 points. He has 13 goals (4th) and 13 assists. Anderson (4-3-0) has the best goals against average for Buffalo at 2.71. He has a save percentage of .914%. Eric Comrie (4-7-0) has played the most games in net for the Sabres this season. He has a 3.62 GAA and a .887% save percentage.