The Buffalo Sabres (16-28-8) head west to face the St. Louis Blues (30-14-6) Friday at Enterprise Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we look at the Sabres vs. Blues odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Sabres were blanked 4-0 at the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday. They’ll be fired up to light the lamp in “The Lou” as they have now lost four in a row. Look for them to apply pressure early and maybe sneak one in.
St. Louis delivered a convincing 4-1 road win over the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday and has had a couple of days to rest. G Jordan Binnington was great in net, and RW Vladimir Tarasenko returned from a one-game absence with a goal.
Sabres at Blues odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:28 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Sabres +230 (bet $100 to win $230) | Blues -300 (bet $100 to win $300)
- Against the spread (ATS): Sabres +1.5 (+105) | Blues -1.5 (-130)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -140 | U: +112)
Sabres at Blues projected goalies
Craig Anderson (6-6-0, 2.92 GAA, .907 SV%) vs. Jordan Binnington (12-10-3, 3.25 GAA, .900 SV%, 1 SO)
Anderson is 1-4-0 with a 3.83 GAA and has allowed 3 goals or more in four of five games in February. That figures to happen again Friday as the team continues to rebuild.
Binnington put on a show Tuesday in a statement game for the struggling goaltender as he allowed just 1 goal on 26 shots to the Flyers. He was terrible beforehand allowing 18 goals in three previous games. Look for him to get one more start here in a soft spot to continue to get right.
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Sabres at Blues odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Blues 4, Sabres 2
Money line
The Blues (-300) are too expensive to play on the money line most nights and this slate is no different. PASS
Against the spread
The BLUES -1.5 (-130) have won six of 10 games, and all of those wins have been by at least 2 goals. They’re 7-0 in the last seven games when playing on two days’ rest or more. This could even wind up being a 5-1 score considering how good Binnington looked against Philadelphia.
Over/Under
OVER 5.5 (-140) is the way to go here with a lot of juice in tow. It’s surprising that the Over didn’t open at 6.5 with the way the Blues have been playing. If it goes there, stay away. However, we’ll light the lamp on a 5.5 total.
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