The Stats Zone
January 8 2020, 16:44 · Juan Pablo Aravena

2019-20 NHL – Buffalo Sabres @ St. Louis Blues Preview & Pick

2019-20 NHL – Buffalo Sabres @ St. Louis Blues Preview & Pick
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THE FACTS

When is Buffalo Sabres @ St. Louis Blues taking place? Friday 10th January, 2020 – 01:00 (UK)

Where is Buffalo Sabres @ St. Louis Blues taking place? Entreprise Center, St. Louis

What channel is Buffalo Sabres @ St. Louis Blues on? Premier Sports

Where can I stream Buffalo Sabres @ St. Louis Blues? Premier Sport subscribers can stream this match live via Premier Player

Where can I get tickets for Buffalo Sabres @ St. Louis Blues? https://www.nhl.com/tickets

What was the outcome in the last meeting? Buffalo Sabres 5 – 2 St. Louis Blues

THE TEAM NEWS

BUFFALO SABRES

  • Buffalo are coming off a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers and that result extended their winning streak to two games. However, they suffered a four-game losing run prior to these back-to-back wins, and they have lost seven of their last 10 contests. That negative run of form has Buffalo in 11th place of the Eastern Conference.
  • The Sabres will have Tage Thompson listed as questionable ahead of this match, but they will also deal with a plethora of injuries. Defencemen Jake McCabe and Matt Hunwick, as well as forwards Victor Olofsson, Jeff Skinner and Vladimir Sobotka, have all been ruled out for this contest.
  • Star center Jack Eichel should be Buffalo’s player to watch in this game. He’s on a four-game point streak (two goals and two assists) and he is on a path to surpass his career-best 82-point mark set last season. He is already up to 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists) in 42 contests.

ST. LOUIS BLUES

  • The St. Louis Blues ended their three-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks the last time out. Despite their 2-3 mark in their last five games, the reigning Stanley Cup champions remain at the top of the Western Conference standings with 61 points out of 44 games. They hold a seven-point lead over the second-placed Colorado Avalanche.
  • The Blues could get a massive boost defensively ahead of this matchup since a pair of blueliners – Carl Gunnarsson and Colton Parayko – will be game-time decisions. However, star winger Vladimir Tarasenko remains sidelined until the end of March at the earliest. Forwards Sammy Blais and Erik Foley are out as well.
  • Brayden Schenn might be on a six-game scoring drought, but he has been one of St. Louis’ most productive players in Tarasenko’s absence and is up to 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 44 contests this season. He is primed for a bounce-back performance to end his negative run of form.

THE PREDICTION

The Sabres are on a good run of form at the moment thanks to back-to-back wins but the fact they have dropped seven of their last 10 – while also allowing 3.5 goals per game during that stretch – should be concerning. The Blues are one of the best teams in the league and even considering they had a slight dip on their form of late, they remain a solid squad on both ends of the ice as evidenced by their current record. They also have the third-best defence of the Western Conference with only 121 goals conceded – an average of 2.75 per game. Expect St. Louis to start a new winning streak with a positive result here.