The Columbus Blue Jackets (10-17-5) travel to face off against the Buffalo Sabres (13-16-3) on Tuesday, December 19th. This game will be played at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Both the Blue Jackets and Sabres will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres

The Columbus Blue Jackets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

As they head into their game vs. the Sabres, the Blue Jackets have a 10-17-5 record thus far. While playing at home, their record stands at 7-9-2, and they have 3-8-3 mark on the road. Their current record places them 8th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 15th in the Eastern conference. This season, Columbus has managed to win seven games by a margin of more than one goal while losing 12 games by multiple goals. Their overall puck line record for the season is 19-13.

The Blue Jackets aim to bounce back following their 6-3 loss at home to the Devils. In the opening period, the Blue Jackets couldn’t find the net on offense, but they rebounded with two times in the second period and one goal in the third. Columbus’ one power-play goals contributed to their total of 3 goals. Their offensive performance came with 26 shots on goal and three giveaways.

Entering the game as the underdog, Columbus not only suffered a straight-up loss but also failed to cover the puck line. The over/under line going into the game was 6.5 goals, which the teams surpassed with their combined 9 goals.

The Buffalo Sabres Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

This season, the Sabres have an overall record of 13-16-3. On the road, Buffalo holds a 7-9-2 mark, and they are 6-7-1 when playing at home. They are currently positioned 7th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 14th in the Eastern conference. This season, Buffalo has managed to win nine games by a margin of more than one goal while losing 11 games by multiple goals. Their overall puck line record for the season is 16-16.

The Sabres aim to bounce back following their 2-0 loss on the road to the Coyotes. The Coyotes defense proved to be too much for Buffalo’s offense, resulting in being shutout. While being shutout, the Sabres’ offense finished with 6 giveaways and took a total of 28 shots on goal.

Buffalo was favored by -1.5 giving them a loss vs. the puck line. The game ended below the over/under line of 6.5, with a combined total of 2 goals.

Columbus Offense Breakdown

Offensively, the Blue Jackets come into the game at 3 goals per contest placing 15th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 12th position in the league. The Columbus offense is ranked 25th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 32nd in the NHL.

For the season, the over/under record of the Blue Jackets’ stands at 19-13-0. They have had 19 games during the season that exceeded the 6.5 over/under line. On average, their games are averaging 6.7 goals per game.

Buffalo Offense Breakdown

For their offensive performance, the Sabres come in averaging 2.8 goals per game this season, which is 21st in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 11th in the league. The Sabres went 8-9 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 5-7.

This season, the Sabres’ have an over/under record of 13-18-1. Throughout the season, they have played 19 games that did not exceed the 6.5 over/under line. On average, their games are averaging 6.1 goals per game.

Columbus Team Defense

Entering the game, the Blue Jackets’ defense ranks 16th in takeaways, averaging 6.2 takeaways per contest. In the NHL, they currently stand at 2nd in terms of goals allowed, giving up an average of 3.3 goals per game.

Buffalo Team Defense

The Sabres defense is currently 18th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 29.5 shots per game against Buffalo. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 25th with 1 shutouts.

Blue Jackets vs Sabres Trends

• Across their ten previous road games, Columbus has an puck line mark of 7-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-8 while averaging 3 goals per game.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, Buffalo has an puck line record of 4-6 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 4-6 overall in these games.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Buffalo has an puck line mark of 5-5 while going 4-6 straight up.
• Going back to their previous three games as the favorite, Columbus has an puck line mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.

Blue Jackets vs Sabres Prediction

If you’re looking for a moneyline bet in this one, we have the Sabres coming out on top. However, with the lines sitting at -176, I’d recommend looking to the puck line as our projections have the Sabres winning by more than one goal.

For a puck line pick, we are going with the Sabres to win and cover. Look for the Sabres to win this one by multiple goals over the Blue Jackets.

With an over/under line sitting at 6.5 goals, we like this game to remain below that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.