The Buffalo Sabres (35-37-7) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning (45-27-8) on Sunday, April 13th. This game will be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa and televised on ESPN+. Both the Sabres and Lightning will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 ET.

Sabres vs Lightning

The Buffalo Sabres Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Buffalo’s 2-1 loss to the Red Wings dropped them to 35-37-7 this season. The Sabres held a 1-0 lead after the first period, but Detroit responded with two goals in the second.

The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, but the teams combined for just 3. Buffalo, as the underdog on the puck line, failed to cover.

The Tampa Bay Lightning Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Tampa Bay’s defense faltered in a 7-4 road loss to the Jets, moving their record to 45-27-8. The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, but the teams combined for 11, easily surpassing that mark. The Lightning, as underdogs on the puck line, failed to cover.

The Lightning held a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the Jets responded with seven of the next nine goals. Four different players scored for Tampa Bay in the game.

Buffalo Offense Breakdown

Buffalo’s offense struggled in their 2-1 loss to Detroit, with Alex Tuch scoring the team’s only goal, his fifth of the season. Tuch’s goal came shorthanded, 8:21 into the first period, and was unassisted.

The Sabres fired 32 shots on goal but were unable to find the net again. They recorded 13 giveaways and failed to score on the power play.

Lightning Offense Breakdown

Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for the Lightning at 13:11 in the first period, netting his 7th goal of the season. Brayden Point followed with his 8th goal, coming on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee added his 4th goal of the year in the second period, and Nikita Kucherov scored his 10th goal, unassisted, at 13:09 in the third.

The Lightning fired 30 shots on goal and recorded 8 giveaways. They were held scoreless for the first 6:49 of the game before Hagel’s goal.

Buffalo Team Defense

Defensively, Buffalo will look to rebound after giving up two goals in the second period of their last game, both on the power play. The Sabres had taken a 1-0 lead in the first period, but they couldn’t hold on, allowing goals at 12:11 and 5:22 of the second. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished with 21 saves and a 91.3% save percentage, while the defense recorded 5 takeaways and 17 hits.

Tampa Bay Team Defense

Defensively, the Lightning gave up the first goal of the game at the 7:37 mark of the first period, and after tying the game at 4-4 in the third, they allowed three more goals, including two empty-netters. Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with a save percentage of 84.4%.

Sabres vs Lightning Trends

• Across their last three road contests, Buffalo has a 3-0 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-2, while averaging 3 goals per game.
• Across the Lightning last three home games, the team averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 3. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 1-2, while going 1-2 straight-up.
• The last ten games that Tampa Bay was the underdog, they have an puck line mark of 6-4 while going 3-7 straight up.
• In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Sabres have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their puck line record was 2-1 in these scenarios.

Sabres vs Lightning Prediction

If you’re looking for a straight moneyline bet, then the Lightning are the way to go. However, with a payout of -272, you might consider using this bet as a leg of a parlay.

If you’re looking for my recommendation on the puck line, I suggest taking the Sabres to cover. Even if the Lightning manage to win outright, this game is expected to remain competitive, and the Sabres should cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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

* 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.