by
- What: Buffalo Sabres vs. Anaheim Ducks
- Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024
- Location: Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
- Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+, Hulu
Two teams who are outside the 2024 NHL playoffs meet tonight in California, when the Eastern Conference’s Buffalo Sabres start a Western Conference road trip against the Anaheim Ducks. Buffalo is in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with a 20-22-4 record. Meanwhile, Anaheim sits in the same spot in the Pacific Division with a mark of 15-30-1. The Sabres have not made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011. The last time the Ducks played in the NHL postseason was in 2018.
Things have been rough for the Sabres this year, the team, under head coach Don Granato, has only won back-to-back games in regulation twice during the 2024 season. Buffalo finished last year with a 42-33-7 record, which was an improvement from the 32-39-11 mark the team had in Granato’s first full season behind the Sabres bench. Buffalo finished each of those campaigns in fifth place in the Atlantic. The Sabres have a road record of 9-10-3 this season.
Greg Cronin became the 11th coach in Duck’s history in June 2023. His hiring came after the club finished the season with the worst record in the NHL, at 23-47-12. Cronin had the team doing okay at the start of the season, but things have been terrible for the club since mid-November. Since November 15, Anaheim has a 6-24-1 mark. The Ducks are 6-17-1 at home in 2024.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and the Anaheim Ducks, check out our betting picks to win the 2024 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Anaheim Ducks betting picks – January 23, 2024
 | Puck Line | Money Line | Total |
| Buffalo Sabres | +1.5 (+155) | -155 | Ov 6.5 (-101) |
| Anaheim Ducks | -1.5 (-175) | +138 | Un 6.5 (-115) |
Buffalo Sabres betting breakdown
Despite the team’s losing record, the Buffalo Sabres goal differential is not terrible at minus-12. The club has scored a total of 134 goals on the season and given up 146, and they are on one of the better runs of their season heading into tonight’s matchup with Anaheim after going 6-4 in their past 10 games. Buffalo is coming off a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Tonight’s game marks the first of three games against California clubs on the road.
Casey Mittelstadt leads the Sabres in points (39) and assists (27). The 25-year-old is on pace for a career year in goals, assists, and points, while averaging a career-high 18:38 of ice time. Jeff Skinner leads the team in goals with 17. Six Buffalo players have scored 10 or more goals on the season.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has picked up most of the starts in net for the Sabres. The 24-year-old has a record of 11-10-2, a goals against average of 2.61, and a .908 save percentage.
Buffalo’s power play ranks 26th in the league with a 14.3 percent effectiveness. The team’s penalty kill is 15th in the NHL at 80.1 percent. The Sabres average 31.1 shots per game and give up 29.
Anaheim Ducks betting breakdown
While the Buffalo Sabres head into tonight’s contest with some momentum, the Anaheim Ducks remain in a prolonged slump. The team is 2-7-1 in their past 10 outings and they have lost their past three games by a combined score of 12-3. They have surrendered four or more goals in five of their past six games and were shutout 2-0 in the other outing. Anaheim has one of the worst goal differential’s in the league at minus-44. The team has scored 116 goals and given up 160 this season.
Frank Vatrano is the Ducks’ leading scorer with 33 points. The 29-year-old also leads the team with 21 goals on the year. Troy Terry has the most assists on the club with 20. He is the second-highest scorer for Anaheim with 31 points. Four players on the Ducks have scored 10 or more goals this year.
John Gibson has the most starts in goal for Anaheim. The 30-year-old is 8-19-0 on the season with a 3.10 goals against average and a .899 save percentage.
Anaheim ranks 21st in power play efficiency at 18.5 percent, and 23rd on the penalty kill at 77.6 percent. The Ducks average 28.7 shots on goal per game and give up the fifth most shots in the league on average at 32.5 per game.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Anaheim Ducks betting trends
The Ducks are 3-2 against the Sabres in their past five outings. In their two most recent matchups, both which took place in 2023, the Sabres won 6-3 and 7-3.
The Sabres have won 11 of 17 games this season when they were the betting favorites. Buffalo has scored 27 goals in their past 10 games and given up 19.
Anaheim have won 14 of the 41 games this season when they were the betting underdogs. The Ducks have scored 23 goals in their past 10 games and given up 35 during those matchups.
Best bets Buffalo Sabres vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are struggling everywhere right now. The betting pick is for the Sabres to beat the Ducks tonight.
Neither of these teams is averaging an enormous amount of goals over their past 10 games. With that in mind, the betting pick is for the Sabres and Ducks to combine for fewer than 6.5 goals tonight.
See below a list of reliable sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.
