Blue Jackets vs. Sabres Odds, Picks: Your NHL Betting Preview (Feb. 10)

Blue Jackets vs. Sabres Odds

The Metropolitan Division's fifth-place Columbus Blue Jackets continue their road trip against the Atlantic Division's seventh-place Buffalo Sabres. This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season, as Columbus beat Buffalo 7-4 back in November.

Will Columbus take care of business again, or can Buffalo pull out the victory on home ice?

How Good Actually Is Columbus?

The Blue Jackets are coming off Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals, which was a big win. However, they could be in a letdown spot tonight after a tough divisional matchup.

Columbus is due for regression, as it sits just below .500 despite being one of the worst teams in hockey analytically. The Blue Jackets rank 25th in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF) and 32nd in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 (xGA).

Joonas Korpisalo is projected to be the starting goalie for Columbus here, and It has been a tough go for him this season. Korpisalo has a 0.887 save percentage and currently ranks 31st amongst starting goaltenders in 5-on-5 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx). The Blue Jackets netminder has allowed three or more goals in 14 of his last 16 outings.

Buffalo Still Bad, But Slightly Better

The Buffalo Sabres will start the second half of their season tonight with seven more days of rest than the Blue Jackets.

While the Sabres are bad like they are pretty much every year, we have seen some improvement from their blue line. Buffalo will have a defensive edge over Columbus, ranking 19th in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA) and seventh in average expected goal value of opposing 5-on-5 shot attempts.

Not only will Buffalo have the defensive edge against Columbus, but they will also have the goaltending advantage. Dustin Tokarski is the confirmed starter tonight for the Sabres, and he has seen better results than Korpisalo.

This season, Tokarski has a 0.904 save percentage and ranks a few spots higher amongst starters in 5-on-5 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx).

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Blue Jackets-Sabres Pick

Buffalo opened this game as a home favorite before the line dropped down to a pick 'em. The Sabres have opened as a home favorite just one other time this season, and that was their 2-1 win over Arizona back in October.

I think these two teams are relatively equal despite the large difference in records. With the better goaltender between the pipes, I like the home team to get their revenge over Columbus.

Pick: Sabres -110 (play to -120)