Lightning vs Sabres Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Points Taken

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres are set to face off in an Atlantic Division matchup. This game is pretty close to a pick'em on the NHL odds board with the Sabres slight favorites at -130 at some books.

The Lightning are 1-2-0 to start the season with back-to-back losses after a 5-3 win. The Sabres are also coming off back-to-back losses, but those are the only two games they've played thus far.

Will home ice be an advantage tonight for Buffalo? Read on for our Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Buffalo Sabres NHL picks and predictions for Tuesday, October 17.

Lightning vs Sabres odds

Lightning vs Sabres predictions

The Tampa Bay Lightning are hoping they can tread water without star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy due to a back injury. They’ve seen some struggles so far with a 5-2 loss to Ottawa and 6-4 loss to Detroit over the weekend. Even in their season-opening win, the Lightning allowed the Predators to get back into the game with three goals after a dominant first period.

The Buffalo Sabres have also had their fair share of issues stopping the puck. The Rangers ran up six goals against them in the season opener and then the defensive-minded Islanders scored three on Saturday night.

This could become a new rivalry in the Atlantic Division between the established Lightning and up-and-coming Sabres. All four games last season were back-and-forth affairs, with two being 6-5 finals in overtime.

The goalie matchup for tonight's game leaves much to be desired. The Lightning are slated to start veteran Jonas Johansson, who has a career .886 SV% in 37 games. Rookie goalie Devon Levi is probable for the Sabres but he’s had a rough start with seven goals allowed on 59 shots (.881 SV%) through two games.

Meanwhile, these are two teams that can put the puck in the back of the net with names like Tage Thompson, Jeff Skinner, Nikita Kucherov, and Steven Stamkos facing off. The Sabres' 3.57 goals per game last season was the third-best in the league while the Lightning weren't too far behind at 3.41 (eighth)

Given these teams' defensive struggles thus far and high-scoring games last year, all eyes have to be on the Over in this one.

My best bet: Over 6.5 goals (-135 at FanDuel)

Lightning vs Sabres same-game parlay

Over 6.5 goals

Brayden Point anytime goal

Tage Thompson anytime goal

30% boost available

+605 +786 at FanDuel

We’re starting the parlay off with a solid anchor of Over 6.5 goals. Both of these teams are more than capable of putting up three or four goals themselves, and at the same time they’re both vulnerable to allowing three or four goals themselves.

Starting our same-game parlay off with an Over opens up a lot of options for the final two legs.

There are going to be plenty of goals tonight, and Brayden Point should be among the goal-scorers. 

Point loves playing against the Sabres, as shown by his five goals in four head-to-head matchups last season. He’s been rather quiet so far this season, but this is a prime spot for him to get on the board.

Sabres forward Thompson broke out last season with 47 goals but has yet to find the back of the net through two games. That could change tonight. He leads the Sabres with seven scoring chances and seven shots on goal as well. 

Thompson also likes playing against the Bolts. He had a hat trick back in February as three of his five goals against Tampa Bay last year.

This should be a high-scoring game with the stars coming out to play.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Lightning vs Sabres moneyline and Over/Under analysis

The odds for this matchup are a bit interesting. Caesars Sportsbook opened as a pick'em. At FanDuel, the Sabres opened at -120 with the Lightning at +100. PointsBet had the Lightning as -120 favorites but that has come down to a pick'em as well.

The total opened at 6.5 with the Over heavily favored at most books. The line has moved up to an even 7 at some books with the Over priced around +110.

I really like the Sabres as slight home favorites on Tuesday night. They’ve played two tough opponents to open the season and have now had two days off to get on track. Meanwhile, this will be the third game in four nights for the Lightning. It may be early in the season, so the rest advantage doesn't matter too much, but it's still something else going in the Sabres' favor.

My best bet for this game, though, is the Over. Whether you can find the Over 6.5 at -135 or Over 7 at +110, both lines are perfectly acceptable. In fact, this may be a game where you can consider playing an alternate total of Over 7.5 or Over 8.5.

Lightning vs Sabres betting trend to know

The Over is 6-1-1 in Lightning's last eight road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Lightning vs. Sabres.

Lightning vs Sabres game info

Lightning vs Sabres latest injuries

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