Thursday’s NHL matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets (39-27-12) and the Buffalo Sabres (48-23-8) at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York is projected to be a competitive outing. The Blue Jackets have -118 moneyline odds to win against the Sabres (-102) in the game, which starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

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Blue Jackets vs. Sabres Betting Lines

• Favorite: Blue Jackets (-118)
• Underdog: Sabres (-102)
• Over/under: 6.5

Blue Jackets vs. Sabres Quick Facts

• Columbus and its opponent have gone over the current 6.5-goal total in 35 of 76 games this season.
• Buffalo’s games have gone over 6.5 goals in 37 of 78 chances this season.
• The combined goals scored average of these two teams, 6.5, is 0.0 less than Thursday’s over/under.
• These two clubs give up 6.1 goals per game combined, 0.4 fewer than this game’s over/under.

Blue Jackets Stats, Moneyline & Leaders

Blue Jackets Season Stat Insights

• The Blue Jackets offense’s 238 total goals (3.0 per game) rank 17th in the NHL.
• Columbus is ranked 17th in league action in goals against this season, having allowed 239 (3.1 per game).
• They’re ranked 15th in the league with a -1 goal differential .
• The 37 power-play goals Columbus has scored this season (on 188 chances) rank 28th in the league.
• The Blue Jackets rank 19th in the league with a 19.68% power-play conversion rate this season.
• Columbus has scored a total of five shorthanded goals this season.
• The Blue Jackets have the league’s 27th-ranked penalty-kill percentage at 76.17%.
• The Blue Jackets’ players win 50.4% of their faceoffs to rank 15th in the league.
• Columbus scores on 10.5% of its shots as a team, ranking 23rd in the league.
• The Blue Jackets’ players are looking for their first shutout win this season. As a team, they are averaging 19.5 hits and 14.8 blocked shots per game.

Blue Jackets Moneyline

• Columbus has won 22 of its 31 games as a favorite this season.
• In 26 games with shorter than -118 moneyline odds this season, the Blue Jackets have won 17.
• The moneyline odds say Columbus has a 54.1% chance of winning this game.

Blue Jackets Leaders

• Zachary Werenski: 22 goals and 58 assists
• Kirill Marchenko: 26 goals and 39 assists
• Adam Fantilli: 23 goals and 33 assists
• Jet Greaves: 25-16-9 record, .910 save percentage, 131 goals conceded

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on Blue Jackets vs. Sabres? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

Sabres Stats, Moneyline & Leaders

Sabres Season Stats Insights

• The Sabres’ 270 total goals (3.4 per game) are the sixth-most in the league.
• Buffalo’s 236 total goals allowed (3.0 per game) rank 14th in the NHL.
• Their seventh-best goal differential is +34.
• Buffalo has recorded 48 power-play goals this season, which ranks 16th in the NHL (on 239 chances).
• The Sabres have the NHL’s 18th-ranked power-play conversion rate of 20.08%.
• Buffalo has scored 10 shorthanded goals this season (third among all NHL squads).
• The 81.36% of opponent power plays the Sabres kill is the ninth-best penalty-kill percentage in the league.
• The Sabres have the NHL’s 32nd-ranked faceoff win rate (45.7%).
• Buffalo’s collective 12.1% shooting percentage ranks sixth in the league.
• The Sabres have not had a shutout win yet this season.

Sabres Moneyline Insights

• The Sabres have been made the underdog 36 times this season, and upset their opponent 22 times.
• Buffalo is 18-13 when bookmakers have made them underdogs of -102 or longer on the moneyline.
• The win probability for the Sabres, implied from the moneyline, is 50.5%.

Sabres Leaders

• Tage Thompson: 38 goals and 41 assists
• Rasmus Dahlin: 18 goals and 53 assists
• Alex Tuch: 30 goals and 32 assists
• Alex Lyon: 20-10-4 record, .907 save percentage, 92 goals allowed