Lightning and Sabres Meet in an Intriguing Matchup
It’s been a while since I made an NHL pick, and I’d like to get a little more consistent about following the league. There aren’t many games on tonight’s schedule, but Tampa Bay and Buffalo stand out as an appealing matchup. Hockey isn’t the sport I follow most closely, though I’ve tried to keep up with the regular season more over the years. This season has already had plenty of early drama, too.
Tampa Bay has opened with an impressive 11-4-2 record, but its road results have been less convincing. The Lightning are 3-4-2 away from home, and all four of their losses have come on the road. They’re scoring 3.71 goals per game while giving up 3.06. They don’t allow many shots—just 24.7 per game—but the goals against suggest opponents are getting quality chances, or the goaltending hasn’t been sharp enough.
The Lightning have won three of their past five games and lost the other two, including one in a shootout. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start. He’s 8-4-1 this season, with a 2.85 goals-against average and an .883 save percentage. Those numbers haven’t been especially strong, and he has started each of Tampa Bay’s four road losses.
Buffalo’s start has been more middling than disastrous. The Sabres are 8-6-3 overall and 4-5-0 at home. They’re scoring just under three goals per game and allowing 3.29. Their recent play has been decent enough, though they’ve lost two of their past three games on home ice.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the likely starter for Buffalo. I’ve always liked his name, but his numbers this season have been underwhelming: a 3.27 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage. He has been better at home, where he’s allowing 2.88 goals per game.
Neither team has been particularly convincing defensively, and both have had some issues in goal. Their offenses average around three goals a game, although neither has been piling up goals lately. Tampa Bay has gone over 6.5 total goals in three of its past five games; Buffalo has reached seven goals in just two of its last five. Still, I think this one gets to at least seven goals between the teams. I’m taking the over.
