Sabres vs. Islanders NHL Predictions, Picks and Odds - Dec. 20

The Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders are coming off a win and a defeat, respectively, heading into their meeting at KeyBank Center on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The Islanders are underdogs away from home, at +150, and the Sabres are -180.

Buffalo won 5-3 at home its last time out on Dec. 18 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Mattias Samuelsson (two assists) and Zachary Benson (two assists) each had two points for the Sabres.

New York lost 4-1 at home against the Vancouver Canucks in its most recent game on Dec. 19. Calum Ritchie (one assist) and Mathew Barzal (one assist) were among the three Islanders players who put up one point each in that outing.

Get ready for this showdown with a glimpse at who we predict will come out on top in Saturday's contest.

Sabres vs. Islanders Predictions & Pick

For insights on the upcoming game between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders, computer-calculated moneyline, over/under, and score predictions are below, sourced from Dunkel Index.

• Prediction: Sabres 3 - Islanders 2
• Pick OU: Under 6.5 (Dunkel projecting 5.05 goals)
  

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Sabres vs. Islanders Moneylines

Grab a peek below at the latest moneylines for the Sabres-Islanders game.

• Favorite: Sabres (-180)
• Underdog: Islanders (+150)

Sabres Betting Insights

• The Sabres have won 53.8% of their games when favored on the moneyline this season (7-6).
• Buffalo has had moneyline odds of -180 or shorter in only one game this season, and won.
• The Sabres have a 64.3% chance (based on the moneyline's implied probability) to win this matchup.
• Buffalo's 33 matches this season have finished above this game's total of 6.5 goals 16 times.

Islanders Betting Insights

• This season the Islanders have won 14 of the 22 games, or 63.6%, in which they've been an underdog.
• New York is 4-2 this season when entering a game as the underdog by +150 or more on the moneyline.
• The moneyline for this matchup implies a 40.0% chance of victory for the Islanders.
• New York has played 15 games this season that finished with over 6.5 goals.

Sabres Key Stats

• Buffalo's 101 total goals (3.1 per game) make it the 18th-ranked scoring team in the NHL.
• The Sabres have allowed 112 total goals (3.4 per game), ranking 23rd in league action in goals against.
• It has the league's 25th-ranked goal differential at -11.
• The 21 power-play goals the Sabres have scored this season (to rank 13th in the NHL) have come on 104 power-play chances.
• Buffalo is 14th in the league with a 20.19% power-play conversion rate.
• The Sabres have scored three shorthanded goals this season.
• Buffalo kills 85.42% of opponent power plays, the top penalty-kill percentage in the league.
• Buffalo wins 43.8% of its faceoffs to rank 32nd in the NHL.
• The Sabres shoot 10.8% as a team (16th in the league).

Islanders Key Stats

• New York's 100 goals on the season (2.9 per game) rank 19th in the league.
• The Islanders' total of 97 goals given up (2.8 per game) is 11th in the league.
• With a goal differential of +3, the team is ninth-best in the league in that category.
• With 18 power-play goals (on 113 chances), the Islanders are 19th in the NHL.
• New York's power-play percentage (15.93) puts the team 25th in the league.
• The Islanders have five shorthanded goals (third in league).
• The 81.82% penalty-kill percentage of New York is 11th in the NHL.
• New York is 11th in faceoff win percentage in the NHL (51.5%).
• With a shooting percentage of 10.1%, the Islanders are 22nd in the league.