The Buffalo Sabres land in St. Louis right after facing the Dallas Stars in the second of their four-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Blues conclude their seven-game homestand looking to come away with a winning record. The NHL betting lines favor the Blues. St. Louis has won nine straight hosting Buffalo, which has a poor record when on the second night of a back-to-back.
Let’s check the latest NHL news, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Sabres vs Blues. We’ve got plenty of NHL picks for you to consider.
Sabres Must Keep Scoring
The Sabres are a fun and energetic young bunch. That means this team depends a lot on its offense. Buffalo is tied with Boston for the most goals scored per game (3.8) but at the expense of defense: the Sabres are giving up 3.44 goals per game, which is the ninth-most in the league.
That’s why Buffalo is just 2-16-2 when it scores three goals or fewer and winless when it scores less than that (0-12-0). Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin have been mostly responsible for this team’s offensive explosion. But lately, the duo has struggled, explaining why Buffalo’s offense has also sputtered.
Rasmus Dahlin 🚀 pic.twitter.com/4wQZ6tY29h
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) January 20, 2023
Buffalo went 3-4-1 in its last eight games. Thompson has just one goal and four assists, while Dahlin has just one power-play point during the same span. Additionally, the Sabres are just 1-5-1 when playing without rest. The Sabres scored more than three goals just twice hence why they’re underdogs in the sportsbook.
Home Ice Advantage Questionable for Blues
Extenuating circumstances contribute to why the Blues are favorites, but this team remains a shaky bet online. The Blues are just 10-11-2 at home and are down plenty of skaters, including center Ryan O’Reilly and defenseman Torey Krug. The return of star winger Vladimir Tarasenko will boost the Blues, however.
But offense is hardly St. Louis’s main issue. This team is 25th on the penalty kill (74.6%) and often has unreliable goaltending from Jordan Binnington. The incumbent starter has a -14.1 goals saved above average, with an 89.1 save percentage.
If Thomas Greiss is in net, the Blues should be a bit more solid. The backup has better stats all around but is still only just 5-6-0. But as it stands, the Blues don’t appear ready to pull off another miracle run as they did in 2019.
Sabres vs Blues Game Injuries
Sabres vs Blues Head-to-Head
The Blues not only have won nine straight home games against Buffalo but are 3-1-0 in their last four games. The winner of the last five games has won by at least two goals. The totals have gone over or pushed in seven of their last 10 meetings (6-3-1).
Sabres vs Blues Game Information
- Game: Sabres (24-19-3) vs Blues (23-21-3)
- Day/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MI
- Sabres vs Blues Live stream: NHL.TV
Sabres vs Blues Betting Lines
Sabres vs Blues Picks and Prediction
Despite the losing streak against the Blues, the Sabres have a higher upside as far as offense goes. But we can’t fully back either team here. Instead, we like these teams to go over the total. Precarious goaltending combined with potent offenses could lead to a total that goes over 6½.
St. Louis is listed at -130 in our NHL lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Blues, you have a chance to win $77. Buffalo is +110, offering a chance to win $110 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives St. Louis a 56.52% chance to win, with the Sabres at 47.62%.
Sabres vs Blues Trends
Sabres vs Blues Edge
Sabres vs Blues Results
Sabres vs Blues Game Summary
