Sabers vs. Canucks odds
| Sabers odds | +145 |
| Canucks odds | -170 |
| over/under | 6.5 (+100/-120) |
| time | 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time |
| tv set | CBC |
| Odds by DraftKings. Get his latest NHL odds here. | |
Saturday night will be an exciting matchup as the Pacific Division’s Vancouver Canucks host the Atlantic Division’s Buffalo Sabers. Last season, Buffalo won both meetings between the two teams.
Will the Sabers handle business again, or can the Canucks take their first win of the season?
buffalo sabers
The Buffalo Sabers started the season 3-1 with wins over Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary. Their only loss came against a stacked Florida Panthers team in a close 4-3.
One of the reasons for this success is the incredible goaltending between the tandem of Eric Comrie and Craig Anderson. Neither goalie has been confirmed for this contest, but either option is fine.
In three starts this season, Comrie is 2-1 with a .930% SV% and a 3.01 GAA. It’s also worth noting that these games were against his three most talented offenses in hockey. At 5-5, Comrie has saved more than expected goals per 60 minutes (GSAx/60), ranking him eighth among starting goalkeepers.
In his two careers against the Canucks, Comrie has .908 SV% and a 2.93 GAA. Buffalo may also start Anderson, who was stellar in the season opener against the Ottawa Senators.
In that game, he stopped 35 of 36 packs and posted a .972 SV%. In his last five games against Vancouver, Anderson has gone 4-1 with a .936% SV% and a 1.77 GAA for him.
vancouver canucks
The Vancouver Canucks entered the contest with a 0-3-2 record after a poor start to the season, taking a multi-goal lead in 4 of 5 games. Vancouver’s poor defense, with him giving up three or more goals in each game, is largely responsible for these blown leads.
At 5-5, the Canucks rank just 20th in the league in expected goals per 60 minutes (xGA/60). On the backend, this team has many talented defenders, but they lean into attack-oriented groups and have hurt them when they need to stifle enemy attacks.
The defense improved after Bruce Boudreau returned to the back of the bench last year, but took a step back early this season. This is Thatcher Demko.
Demko is usually reliable between pipes, but has struggled to get out of the gate this season. Through four starts, he’s 0-3-1 with .861 SV% and 4.30 GAA.
In his career against the Sabers, Demco has a .891 SV% and a 3.70 GAA. I think Demco will turn around after this slow start. The group in front of him gave up many high-risk scoring chances, so it’s not all down to him.
That said, playing against a hot team like the Buffalo Sabers is probably not the scenario to make sense of it.
Sabers vs. Canucks Pick
The two teams enter this game in opposite form. Don Granato has done a great job with this Buffalo group as the Sabers are playing the most confident they’ve seen in years.
Their 3-1 start is particularly impressive given the level of competition they have been battling. The Canucks, on the other hand, have had no problem scoring goals, but they can do nothing defensively.
They have topped all five games they have played.
Choose: Buffalo Sabers ML (+145) | Play until (+130)
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