NHL Best Bets: Oilers vs. Sabres Game Picks

Two teams looking to climb their respective conferences standings will face off tonight, with the Edmonton Oilers visiting the Buffalo Sabres.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

There’s a lot to like about the direction the Oilers and Sabres are each headed in. Edmonton comfortably sits in a playoff position in the Western Conference, while the Sabres are duking it out for one of the final two spots in the East. This will be the second of two meetings between these clubs, with the first matchup seeing the Sabres pick up a 4-2 victory all the way back in October. The Oilers are listed as road favorites tonight on the moneyline at -156, while the Sabres are priced at +130. 

Buffalo and Edmonton have some similarities with how they’ve been playing recently. The Oilers have posted a solid 4-3-3 record over their past ten games, while the Sabres are sitting at 6-4 over that same sample size. 

Looking toward the respective goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Oilers are expected to start Stuart Skinner, while the Sabres should do the same with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Oilers’ netminder has been solid, posting a 17-13-4 record, paired with a .912 save percentage. The Sabres’ young goaltender is sitting at 15-9-2, along with a .892 save percentage. Both goalies are likely on the rise in the future at the position, but Skinner should have an edge in this matchup. 

It’s hard to give a huge advantage one way or another to either of these teams in this matchup, but with the Sabres struggling more than Edmonton on defense and in net, there’s merit in backing the Oilers tonight. It’s not the most appetizing price on the moneyline at -156, but it still warrants consideration. 

Best Bet: Oilers moneyline (-156) 

With the Oilers and Sabres residing in the top three in the NHL in goals scored per game, it should be no surprise that the total for this matchup is set relatively high at seven. The earlier matchup between these clubs saw just six goals scored. Over the Oilers’ past five games, they’ve seen seven or more goals in four of those contests, while the Sabres have also seen that transpire in four. With the recent trends they’ve shown us and their elite goal-scoring prowess, there’s certainly a lot of information here pushing us toward the over seven at -138. 

Best Bet: Over 7 (-138) 

With the absurd amount of talent present in this matchup, you could target a wide variety of players that make sense. With us projecting an Edmonton win here, we’ll stick with their side of the equation. Leon Draisaitl is having a season that’s being overlooked, which has seen him tally 96 points in 62 games. He’s been an integral part of what the team does offensively, and this is a juicy matchup tonight against a Sabres squad that sits 25th in goals allowed per game. Draisaitl is priced at a very appetizing +106 to score tonight, and there’s a lot to like about that price point.  

Best Prop: Leon Draisaitl to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+106) 

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