Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres odds, picks and predictions

Ryan Dodson | Staff Writer

The Carolina Hurricanes (34-18-5) take on the Buffalo Sabres (26-27-4) Sunday at KeyBank Center. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Hurricanes vs. Sabres odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Canes land in Buffalo on the back end of a back-to-back after dropping Saturday night's game 2-1 to the Dallas Stars. C Sebastian Aho netted the single goal, and it was his 3rd straight game lighting the lamp. The defeat snapped a 4-game winning streak, and the Canes are 7-3 over the last 10. They have put down the Sabres in both meetings this season.

The Sabres squeezed past the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 Friday night. They have won 3 of 4. Young stud Tage Thompson snapped a 3-game point streak but had 6 shots on goal. The 47-goal scorer missed considerable time with a shoulder injury, and he looks to be getting on track. That is crucial for this young Sabres squad.

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Hurricanes at Sabres odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:12 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Hurricanes -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Sabres +115 (bet $100 to win $115)
Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Hurricanes -1.5 (+165) | Sabres +1.5 (-200)
Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Hurricanes at Sabres projected goalies

Spencer Martin (6-8-1, 3.06 GAA, .892 SV%) vs. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (16-14-2, 2.47 GAA, .913 SV%, 4 SO)

Martin has been rock solid since the Canes used a waiver claim to snag him from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's 3-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .920 SV% since joining the Canes. He must really like the barbecue over there because he was 3-8-0 with a 3.65 GAA in Columbus.

If you ever come across a question on trivia night of which Buffalo goalie is 9th in the league in GAA, the answer is Luukkonen. Hopefully that wins you a round of beverages - probably not, but it is surprising enough to throw out there. Luukkonen had a 3.61 GAA last year, and the 4 shutouts this season are exactly how many he has in his career. The Sabres are 11 points from a playoff spot, but he has kept them in the fight. He stopped 24 of 27 in a 3-2 OT loss to Carolina in November.

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Hurricanes at Sabres picks and predictions

Prediction

Sabres 4, Hurricanes 2

Moneyline

I fully see a close, grind-it-out game here. The Canes are on the road and just played less than 24 hours ago. With the Sabres' strong goaltending and youthful legs, I'm going with the home side. It's mighty telling to me that the books are only giving us +115 on an otherwise lopsided matchup.

Take the SABRES +115.

Puck line/Against the spread

Let's not get cute with the puck line, and take the ML value.

Instead, let's ride our trivia night hero. The Canes are 7th in the league at 32.7 shots per game, and the Sabres are 6th in allowing 29.1 per game. And Luukkonen isn't a fan of the abdominal twist machine in the gym, so he's stopping them!

Take UKKO-PEKKA LUUKKONEN OVER 27.5 SAVES (-105).

Over/Under

Full disclosure, I was in favor of the Under here until I saw that there have been 6+ goals in 9 of the last 10 meetings. Tired legs for the Canes and a relative unknown in net, despite good stats, tells me that we're getting at least 6 goals here. The problem is I don't see enough value to make the leap. The value isn't the greatest on the ALTERNATE TOTAL OVER 5.5 (-150), but I would rather have less value while going to the bank than risking a push.

Get ready, North Carolina!

Online sports betting begins March 11

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