Buffalo Sabres vs Colorado Avalanche Betting Pick & Prediction 12/13/23

Planning on watching today’s Sabres and Avalanche game? Catch the action at Ball Arena in Denver, CO, as the Avalanche hosts this showdown at 9:30 ET on TNT. The odds for this non-conference game currently have the Avalanche as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 6.5 goals.

BUFFALO SABRES VS COLORADO AVALANCHE BETTING PICK

The Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5

This game will be played at Ball Arena at 9:30 ET on Wednesday, December 13th.

WHY BET THE COLORADO AVALANCHE:

  • Despite being 1.5 goal underdogs, we predict the Sabres to come out on top with a final score of 4-3.
  • We like the Sabres on the moneyline (+175)
  • The Sabres are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Are the Sabres Ready for a Road Win?

This season, the Sabres have a mark of 12-14-3. When going on the road, Buffalo has a record of 6-7-2 record, while they are 6-7-1 at their home arena. In the Eastern Atlantic division, they are currently 7th, and in the Eastern conference, they come into the game sitting 14th.

In terms of the puck line, Buffalo are 15-14. When playing on the road against the puck line, they are 10-5, while their overall home performance is 5-9. For the season, the average number of goals per game in matchups featuring Buffalo is 6.2. The season’s average over/under line is currently at 6.5. The Sabres come in with an over/under record of 12-16-1.

Across their three previous road games, Buffalo has an puck line mark of 1-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-2 while averaging 3 goals per game.

In terms of their offensive performance, the Sabres are averaging 2.9 goals per game this season, putting them in the 20th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 11th in the league. Buffalo’s offense comes into the game ranked 25th in power play goals. And in terms of shorthanded goals, they are 20th in the NHL.

Buffalo’s leading scorer is JJ Peterka. So far, he has 12 goals which is 31st in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 9 assists so far.

Defensively, the Avalanche come into the season ranked 21st in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 29.4 shots per game against Colorado. For the season, they are ranked 22nd in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.

Heading into this matchup vs. Colorado, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has started 11 games in this season. His current record is 6-5, and his save percentage stands at 90.7%.

Can the Avalanche Hold Strong at Home?

So far this season, the Avalanche have an overall record of 17-9-2. On the road, Colorado is 7-5-2 and 10-4-0 at home. This record has them sitting 1st in the Western Central division and 4th in the Western conference.

Against the puck line, Colorado is 13-15. Their road puck line record so far is 5-9 while sitting 8-6 at home against the puckline. This season, Colorado’s games are averaging 6.7 goals per game. Their average over/under line is 6.3. The Avalanche currently have an over/under record of 15-11-2.

Although Colorado has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 0-3. The team averaged 2 goals per game in these games.

When looking at their offense, the Avalanche have an average of 3.5 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 4th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 8th in the league. This season, the Avalanche are 10-5 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 5-4 record.

Colorado will be looking for a good game from Mikko Rantanen who leads the team in scoring with 13 goals, ranking 24th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Rantanen has 21 assists this season.

Colorado defense takes on the Sabres ranked 21st in goals allowed. On average, opponents are averaging 29.4 shots per game against Colorado. They alsso are 22nd in shutouts, with 1 shutouts.

Goalie Alexandar Georgiev comes into the game having made 23 starts this season. So far, his record is 14-7 and he has a save percentage of 89.6%.