First Niagara Center hosts an NHL battle between the Buffalo Sabres and the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

The Sabres are 24-24-6 so far on the season. The Lightning, meanwhile, are 23-24-6. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Buffalo go 23-30-1 and the Lightning go 34-18-1 on the totals.



View Tampa Bay vs Buffalo Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Sabres as -145 moneyline favorites in this particular NHL matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 5.5 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
The Sabres sit at No. 28 in the current NHL power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Lightning sit at a No. 24 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Buffalo's No. 24-ranked offense, averaging 2.5 goals per game, against a Lightning defense that ranks No. 30 at 3.4 goals allowed. The Sabres power play is averaging 17.3% while the Lightning defense kills off 80.6% of their penalties.

Tampa Bay lost its last outing, a 4-3 result against the Rangers on February 9. Bettors who backed the Rangers at -180 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent OVER bettors to the payout window.

Last time out for Buffalo, they were a 3-2 Sportsbook as they battled the Stars at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Sabres at -155 were rewarded, while the 5 combined goals moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.


Tampa Bay Lightning Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing St. Louis are 4-6
After playing NY Rangers are 3-7
After a loss are 3-7

Buffalo Sabres Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Colorado are 7-3
After playing Dallas are 6-4
After a win are 3-7

A few Lightning at Sabres trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Tampa Bay's last 16 games when playing Buffalo
Tampa Bay is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Buffalo's last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Buffalo's last 16 games when playing Tampa Bay


Next up:
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, Sunday, February 12
Buffalo home to New Jersey, Tuesday, February 14