Trent Reinsmith
- What: Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
- Date: Friday, April 14, 2023
- Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: BSOH, MSG-B, ESPN+
The 2023 NHL regular season wraps up tonight, Friday, April 14 with two games on the schedule. In the late game, the Colorado Avalanche face the Nashville Predators, while the early game pits the Buffalo Sabres against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Neither the Sabres nor the Blue Jackets wil play in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Buffalo enters tonight’s game with a 40-33-7 record. They are a 24-13-3 road team and enter their matchup against the Blue Jackets with a 7-2-1 record in their past 10 games.
While neither of these teams will make the playoffs, the Blue Jackets are playing for something. Depending on what the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks do on Thursday night, Columbus might be playing for the points that will keep them from finishing last overall in the NHL for the 2023 season. The Blue Jackets are 24-47-9 on the season. Columbus has a 15-22-2 home record, and the club is 2-6-2 in their 10 most recent matchups.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s NHL matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and the Columbus Blue Jackets, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets betting picks for April 14, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Buffalo Sabres | -170 | -170 | -170 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +153 | +145 | +150 |
Buffalo Sabres breakdown
The 25-year-old Tage Thompson leads the Buffalo Sabres in many ways this season. The former first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues has set career highs in points (93), goals (46), assists (47), power-play goals (19), power-play assists (14), and game-winning goals (7). Thompson is also on pace to set career-high marks in shooting percentage, time on ice per game and plus/minus.
Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch, and Dylan Cozens join Thompson as Sabres’ players who have netted over 30 goals this year.
Buffalo’s goaltending has struggled this year. The team has a .895 save percentage to go with a 3.65 goals against average.
Columbus Blue Jackets breakdown
The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the worst statistical teams in the NHL in 2023. Their 209 goals for is third worst in the league, their 323 goals against is only better than the Ducks (333), and, along with Anaheim, they are the only team with a goal differential of one hundred or more at -114.
Johnny Gaudreau leads the team in points with 72. The team does not have a single player who has scored more than 30 goals on the NHL season. Boone Jenner is the team’s leader in that category with 26 goals on the year. Meanwhile, the club’s goaltending is second worst in the NHL in goals against at 4.01 and fourth worst in save percentage at .891.
2023 has not been a good year for the Blue Jackets, who finished last year with 81 points. The best the team can do for this season is 59 points if they get a win tonight over the Sabres.
Best bet for Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
These teams are 1-1 in their 2023 season series, but the Buffalo Sabres are playing much better than the Columbus Blue Jackets right now. With that, the best bet for tonight’s game is to pick the Sabres to beat the Blue Jackets.
Pick: Buffalo Sabres to beat Columbus Blue Jackets
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