The Columbus Blue Jackets roster showed they aren’t worried about whether or not they can win the NHL Draft Lottery. For the players and coaches who were on the bench Thursday night, they were concerned about improving the Columbus Blue Jackets record. Despite falling behind to division rival Pittsburgh, the Blue Jackets were able to rally for a surprising 3-2 win.
Anyone looking to make a Sabres vs Blue Jackets prediction will see Buffalo has made real strides toward getting back into the Stanley Cup playoffs. While the Buffalo Sabres ultimately fell short, fans can see Buffalo built an exciting offense that could make waves next season if they can fill out the rest of the roster the right way.
Here’s a look at a season finale between two teams heading in different directions.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Common types of NHL odds include moneyline odds, spreadline odds, and over/under odds
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Information
Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Location of the game: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio.
Date and Time: Friday, April 14, 2023, 7:30 p.m. ET.
How to Watch: ESPN+
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Recent Scores
The Sabres and Blue Jackets have played in several wild games on the NHL schedule. Buffalo won the first game 9-4 earlier this season. Columbus won the second meeting 5-3.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Analysis
Buffalo Sabres Facts to Know
Over the final ten games of the season, the results on the Buffalo Sabres schedule will show the franchise made a spirited push to qualify for the postseason. The Sabres went 7-2-1 to close the season but fell short of ending a long playoff drought.
What anyone making a Sabres vs Blue Jackets prediction will see is that Buffalo didn’t play in many boring games. Buffalo gets 32.4 shots per game on net and scores 3.55 goals per game. The Sabres’ defense prevented Buffalo from climbing the NHL standings into the playoffs.
Tage Thompson led Buffalo with 47 goals this season, while Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner have added 35 and 34 goals, respectively. The Sabres have seen the total go over the number in three of their past five games.
Columbus Blue Jackets Facts to Know
Columbus wasn’t one of the NHL teams blessed with a lot of top-of-the-line moments. The Blue Jackets struggled mightily to score. Columbus has the worst scoring offense during the regular season, only scoring 2.54 goals per game. NHL player stats show Boone Jenner led the Blue Jackets with 26 goals.
Making a Sabres vs Blue Jackets prediction will be based mostly on if Columbus can slow down Buffalo’s offense. Stopping other teams from scoring wasn’t something the Blue Jackets excelled at either. Columbus allowed over four goals per game.
Injuries hurt the Blue Jackets’ goaltending. Columbus ended up having six different players appear in net. Michael Hutchinson has made four consecutive starts in net for the Blue Jackets. He is 2-6-3 this season with a 4.45 goals-against average.
Updates
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson and right winger Tage Thompson are both listed out on the NHL injury report for the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview
Moneyline: Anyone interested in making NHL picks will see that Buffalo is -175 on the moneyline. Columbus is a +145 underdog.
Over/Under: The over/under is set at seven goals.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Prediction
This is one of the NHL games that both teams will be playing for pride. Each team, with a win, could go into the offseason with a nice surge of confidence. While Columbus’ players and coaches will want to keep building momentum, the fanbase will be pulling for a loss for draft purposes.
While Buffalo can’t make the playoffs, another Sabres win would allow the team to finish with more wins than losses, even when overtime losses are figured in.
- Buffalo will grab the win and prove it is one of the NHL teams to watch out for next season.
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