Thursday’s NHL action includes the Buffalo Sabres (1-3-1) visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets (1-2) at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets are underdogs (+120 on the moneyline) against the Sabres (-142) ahead of the outing, which begins at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN+.

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Sabres vs. Blue Jackets Betting Lines

• Favorite: Sabres (-142)
• Underdog: Blue Jackets (+120)
• Over/under: 6.5

Sabres vs. Blue Jackets Quick Facts

• In 31 of 82 games last season, Buffalo and its opponent combined for more than 6.5 goals.
• Columbus played 42 games last season with more than 6.5 goals.
• These teams averaged 5.8 goals per game combined, 0.7 less than this one’s total.
• Opponents of these two teams averaged 6.6 goals per game combined, 0.1 more than this one’s total.
• In terms of goals scored, the Sabres were 23rd in the league, and the Blue Jackets were 24th.
• The Blue Jackets were 31st in the league in goals allowed, and the Sabres were 11th.

Sabres Stats, Moneyline & Leaders

Sabres Season Stat Insights

• The Sabres’ 13 goals this season make them the 10th-best scoring team in the NHL.
• Buffalo ranks 26th in total goals against, giving up 3.6 goals per game (18 total) in NHL action.
• The team is ranked 29th in goal differential at -5.
• The Sabres are ranked 30th in the league with a 0% power-play conversion rate this season.
• Buffalo’s one shorthanded goal this season rank third in the league.
• The Sabres have the league’s 22nd-ranked penalty-kill percentage at 72.22%.
• The Sabres win 48.3% of their faceoffs (17th in the league).
• Buffalo has a 9.2% shooting percentage as a squad, ranking 25th in the NHL.
• The Sabres’ players are looking for their first shutout win this season. As a team, they are averaging 24.2 hits and 14.4 blocked shots per game.

Sabres Moneyline

• While playing one game as the moneyline favorite this season, Buffalo is yet to win.
• The Sabres have not played a game with their moneyline odds shorter than -142 this season.
• The moneyline odds say Buffalo has a 58.7% chance of winning this game.

Sabres Leaders

• Alex Tuch: two goals and four assists
• Tage Thompson: three goals
• Jordan Greenway: two goals and one assist
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 0-2-1 record, .874 save percentage, 11 goals allowed

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Blue Jackets Stats, Moneyline & Leaders

Blue Jackets Season Stats Insights

• The Blue Jackets’ 234 goals last season (2.8 per game) ranked them 24th in the NHL.
• Columbus allowed 298 total goals (3.6 per game), 31st in the NHL.
• They had the 29th-ranked goal differential in the league at -64.
• Columbus had 32 power-play goals (on 212 chances), 31st in the NHL.
• The Blue Jackets scored on 15.09% of their power plays, No. 31 in the league.
• Columbus had five shorthanded goals (24th in NHL).
• The Blue Jackets’ had the 26th-ranked penalty kill percentage (76.27%).
• The Blue Jackets were 27th in faceoff win percentage in the NHL (47.2%).
• The 9.5% shooting percentage of Columbus was 26th in the league.
• The Blue Jackets did not shut out their opponents once. They averaged 19.2 hits and 17 blocked shots per game.

Blue Jackets Moneyline Insights

• Last season the Blue Jackets were an underdog 74 times, and won 22, or 29.7%, of those games.
• Columbus played 67 games last season as an underdog by +120 or more and went 22-45.
• Bookmakers have implied, given the moneyline set for this matchup, that the Blue Jackets have a 45.5% chance to win.

Blue Jackets Leaders

• Sean Monahan’s 59 points last season made him an important offensive option for Columbus. He had 26 goals and 33 assists in 83 games.
• Zachary Werenski helped lead the attack for Columbus last season with 11 goals and 46 assists.
• Kirill Marchenko had 42 points, including 23 goals and 19 assists.
• Elvis Merzlikins was 13-17-8 in 41 games last season, conceding 130 goals (3.4 goals against average) with an .897 save percentage (47th in the league).