Can Avalanche Beat Sabres on Wednesday?

• What: Buffalo Sabres vs Colorado Avalanche
• When: Wednesday, December 13th, 10:07 PM EST
• Where: Ball Arena, Denver

Fresh off a nailbiter victory over the Calgary Flames, the Colorado Avalanche will be looking to keep it rolling on Wednesday evening at Ball Arena when they host the struggling Buffalo Sabres. The puck will drop at 10:07 PM EST. The Avs won 6-5 on Monday and ended a two-game losing skid in the process. They're still at the top of their division. Buffalo meanwhile also won last time out, beating the Arizona Coyotes 5-2 that same night. This is the beginning of a three-game road trip. Keep reading for the Sabres vs Avalanche picks.

Before we get into the odds and preview, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.

Sabres vs Avalanche Odds

Team
Buffalo Sabres	'+171	+180	+175
Colorado Avalanche	-193	-220	-210

The Avs are a -193 home favorite and have an implied win probability of 65.87%. The Sabres come back at +171 and have a mere 36.90% chance of taking this one on the road. The total is set at 6.5 goals. Buffalo has actually won two meetings in a row dating back to 2022, but prior, Colorado did go eight unbeaten against the Sabres.

Can Sabres Figure it Out?

The Sabres haven't made the NHL Playoffs since 2011; at this rate, that streak will continue. Buffalo is only 12-14-3 which puts them seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference as a whole. They're also just 4-5-1 in the last 10 games and can't seem to find much consistency. On both ends of the ice, the Sabres are pretty average, scoring only 2.9 goals per game and allowing 3.28 per contest. That ranks them in the bottom half of the league in both categories.

While it may not seem like a super important statistic, Buffalo is also 31st in faceoff percentage at 45.2%. That means this team is losing over half of their faceoffs. Not exactly a recipe for success. There are just two scorers with over 10 goals on this roster in Jeff Skinner and JJ Peterka, who have 12 apiece. Outside of them, the Sabres don't have a lot of guys to rely on to put the puck in the net. Four players in total have over 20 points.

The victory over Arizona saw two players shine. Eric Robinson had a goal and assist, while Kyle Okposo also put up the exact same stat line. Buffalo broke things wide open with three goals in the second period and never looked back. In net, Devon Levi made 21 saves on 23 shots. Considering the Sabres are 2-8 straight up against the Avs in the last 10 meetings though, it could be another loss on the board come Wednesday.

Avalanche a Contender?

Colorado has the top-three best Stanley Cup odds for a reason. This is a super-talented team who did win it all in 2021-22. Their 17-9-2 record is one of the best in the league and it puts them a point above the Dallas Stars in first in the Central. Remember, this is all without Gabriel Landeskog too, who continues to be sidelined with an injury.

Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen are truly a star trio who keep wreaking havoc. Rantanen's 13 goals are a team-high but MacKinnon leads Colorado in points with 39 (12 goals, 27 assists). Makar, one of the best offensive-minded defencemen in the league, has eight goals and 28 assists, too. Perhaps the only knock on the Avs is there isn't a lot of contributions coming from elsewhere. Regardless, they're still fourth in goals. Not exactly a problem currently.

Monday's game against Calgary was not an easy one. Although the Flames aren't exactly flourishing, they gave them a serious run for their money. Calgary went into the third up 5-3 before Rantanen and Ross Colton both scored to tie things up. MacKinnon ultimately scored the winner late thanks to a fantastic outlet pass from Rantanen. This was a much-needed victory for the Avs. Colorado does tend to play even better at home as expected, compiling a 10-4-0 record compared to 7-5-2 on the road. A positive sign for what could happen versus Buffalo.

Sabres vs Avalanche Picks

Colorado is 6-2 straight up in the last eight at Ball Arena and does tend to find success against the Sabres. I expect the Avalanche to come out and make a statement. Take the moneyline.

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