Sabres vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Sabres Odds | +170 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -210 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-110 / +110) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Two of the NHLs hotter teams will get the primetime spotlight to themselves on Friday night. The Carolina Hurricanes, last season's Metropolitan Division champions, will host the upstart Buffalo Sabres at PNC Arena.
Here's the latest on both teams, and your best bet for the game.
Buffalo Sabres
Is this the year the Sabres break their drought and get back to the playoffs? Early signs say it might be. At times, we have seen this team start strong and then fade, but this group, led by Don Granato, might be different.
The Sabres head into Friday's game on a three-game winning streak, and with a 7-3-0 record.
The Sabres are on a tough back-to-back this weekend. They start in Carolina on Friday, then visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Buffalo's early-season success has been built off its offense. Heading into Thursday, the team is second in the league in scoring, averaging 4.30 goals per game. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are leading the way with 14 points each.
Improved goaltending has helped the Sabres limit their opponents to an average of 2.80 goals per game. At 41 years old, Craig Anderson is boasting a terrific 3.2 goals saved above expected and has a .946 save percentage.
Eric Comrie has made the past two starts, and he and Anderson will likely split the weekend back-to-back set. As of Thursday evening, there's no clear indication which stopper which get which game.
The Sabres are dealing with some injuries on defense. And while Henri Jokiharju and Mattias Samuelsson with both be sidelined for a bit longer, Ilya Lyubushkin may return to action against the Hurricanes after missing the past three games with a lower-body injury.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are also on a back-to-back, but they'll be on the back end on Friday. They're facing the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Thursday, then will return home to host the Sabres.
Frederik Andersen is getting the nod in net against the Lightning, so that suggests Antti Raanta will probably go against Buffalo. He has only played three games this season, but his numbers are strong with a 2-0-1 record, 2.23 goals-against average and 0.3 goals saved above expected.
True to their reputation, the Hurricanes are once again one of the strongest teams in the league in terms of puck possession, carrying just over 60% of expected goals at 5-on-5 in their games. Their most eye-popping stat is their shot differential. They put an average of 36.2 pucks on net every game, which is fifth-highest in the league, they allow only 26.2 shots from their opponents, which is the second-fewest.
After hovering around the 40-point mark for the past three seasons, Martin Necas looks like he's headed for a breakout year. The 23-year-old leads his team and is tied for 11th in the league in scoring with 13 points. And at 22, Andrei Svechnikov looks poised to obliterate his 30-goal career high from last season. He has eight goals in his first nine games this year.
Sabres vs. Hurricanes Pick
The Hurricanes are one of the most solid teams in the NHL — well-constructed from top to bottom and bringing both discipline and talent to a degree that makes them a tough out on most nights. That's why the oddsmakers are giving them the equivalent of a 68.75% chance of winning Friday's game at a -220 price on the moneyline.
But successfully betting a strong favorite doesn't make for much of a payout for bettors. Although the Sabres will be on the road on Friday, they'll also be the more rested team Friday and have been logging results on par with Carolina in the early going.
These two teams match up a lot more evenly than you might think and if you're not sold that Buffalo can earn the road win, you can still get some nice value by taking the Sabres +1.5 on the puck line at -140. If you like props, Tage Thompson or Andrei Svechnikov are both great targets for anytime goals.
As things stand, Friday's moneyline for the Sabres looks juicy. There's plenty of incentive to bet on Buffalo picking up its fourth road win of the year.
Pick: Sabres Moneyline (+180); play down to +150
