Tuesday NHL Odds, Picks, Prediction: Anaheim Ducks vs. Buffalo Sabres Betting Preview

Ducks vs. Sabres Odds

The Anaheim Ducks will continue their five-game road trip on Tuesday when they travel to Western New York to take on the Buffalo Sabres.

Anaheim is having a much better season than many had anticipated. The Ducks enter this matchup with an overall record of 13-8-5 and have a total of 31 points this season, the 10th-most in the NHL.

On the other hand, the Sabres have fallen back to Earth after winning five of their first seven games to start the season. Buffalo is now 8-13-3 overall and has lost eight of its last 10 games.

This is the second game of a back-to-back for Anaheim as they are coming off of a loss against Washington on Tuesday, but I'm not sure if that is going to play too much of a role in this one.

Will we see Buffalo take advantage of that situation, or can Anaheim use their superior talent to get by?

The Surprising Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have been surprisingly competitive during the 2021-22 season. As was previously mentioned, they have the 10th-most points in the NHL, and they currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division and only four points back of Calgary for the divisional lead.

A lot of their success has come because of an increase in production on the offensive end of the ice. Last season in 5-on-5 situations, Anaheim averaged just 2.03 Expected Goals For per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and 9.55 High-Danger Chances per 60 minutes (HDCF/60), two metrics in which they ranked in the bottom half of the league in.

However, this Ducks squad has improved their numbers in both of those categories, increasing their xGF/60 to 2.46 and their HDCF/60 to 11.79, both of which are in the top-10 in the NHL and prove that this team is getting high-quality looks regardless of who they are playing.

For the most part, they are cashing in on those looks as well, as they have scored the sixth-most total goals in 5-on-5 situations and now get to face a Sabres team that has allowed the second most total goals in 5-on-5 this season.

Anaheim has not been a great team from a defensive standpoint, averaging 2.54 Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes in 5-on-5, but luckily for them they have had great play in net which has kept them in many games.

John Gibson started on Monday night against Washington, meaning that Anthony Stolarz is likely to get the start on Tuesday. Stolarz has been great when he has been on the ice, and in 5-on-5 situations he has an SV % of .946 and 3.1 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx).

The Sabres Are Who We Thought They Were

The Buffalo Sabres got off to a red hot start this season, immediately turning heads and making people wonder if they could stay competitive.

However, any hopes of that becoming true were almost immediately squandered as the Sabres have won just three games since October 28th, one of which was coincidentally an overtime victory against this Ducks team.

Buffalo simply has not been able to keep up with many of the teams that they have squared off against recently, which has become evident in their most recent four games.

During their four game losing skid, Buffalo has gone up against Detroit, Seattle, Florida and Carolina and has been outscored 23-12, which is obviously a goal differential that will not win a team many games.

Furthermore, Buffalo is only generating 9.7 High Danger Chances per 60 minutes and 2.09 Expected Goals For per 60 minutes, two reasons why they haven't been competitive recently.

The Sabres have also been having some issues in net, and it looks like those problems have a chance to stick around for this game. Craig Anderson is now on IR, and Malcolm Subban surrendered six goals on 25 shots in his last start and is dealing with a lower-body injury. That likely means Aaron Dell will be the starter in this one, and on the season he has an SV % of .885 and -4.9 Goals Saved Above Expected in 5-on-5.

Ducks vs. Sabres  Pick

As I previously mentioned this is the second night of a back-to-back for Anaheim, but I think this is the most ideal matchup for them in this situation.

Buffalo does not have much firepower on the offensive end of the ice, and given that the Sabres are likely starting a goalie that has yet to win a game this season I think this is a great bounce back spot for the Ducks.

Anaheim has lost each of their last two games in a shootout against Washington and Calgary, two of the best teams in the NHL. Buffalo provides them with a much easier matchup and I think they take advantage of it.

Pick: Anaheim Ducks -120