Sabres vs. Blues: Projected Lines, Betting Odds, How to Watch & More 2/10/24

It’s a matinee Saturday as the Buffalo Sabres (22-24-4) host the St. Louis Blues (26-21-2) on national television. The Sabres remain 10 points out of a playoff spot, leaving little room for error as they progress through an important February. The Blues are coming off their bye week, which they went into winning five of six games.

Must Read: Oettinger Stops 47 to Defeat Sabres

How to Watch

Gametime: 1:00 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

TV: ABC

Stream: ESPN+

Radio: WGR550

The Sabres

The red-hot Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in the starter’s net at practice Friday and is the projected starter against the Blues. With top prospect Devon Levi still in Rochester developing, Luukkonen is the clear number-one goalie going forward.

The lines are expected to remain the same from Tuesday as well, based on the last two days of practice. This means Kyle Okposo remains in a role with ample opportunity besides Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson. The Sabres’ captain also practiced on the team’s top powerplay unit, with Buffalo looking for a little more balanced attack with the man advantage.

The powerplay is also now featuring Jordan Greenway, who practiced in the bumper role with the second unit. Look for a little more even distribution of powerplay minutes across both groups.

Must Read: Greenway’s Role Expanding to Powerplay

The Blues

One of only two goalies out-performing Luukkonen in the new year is Jordan Binnington. Binnington received starter’s reps yesterday, and if he goes will look to hold down the fort for the Blues. He’s currently riding an impressive 1.58 goals-saved expected per game per Evolving-Hockey in 2024.

As far as offense goes, the Blues’ attack is very much centered around their top line of Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, and Jordan Kyrou. The Sabres primarily used Jordan Greenway, Casey Mittelstadt, and Alex Tuch against the Stars’ most dangerous line on Tuesday, so it will be interesting to see if Don Granato and the coaching staff continue with that strategy.

Injury Report

Buffalo

• Jack Quinn (Lower Body) Out 5-7 Weeks
• Mattias Samuelsson (Upper Body) Out For Season

St. Louis

• Scott Perunovich (Lower Body) Out
• Justin Faulk (Lower Body) Out [IR]
• Mackenzie MacEachern (Shoulder) Out For Season
• Josh Jacobs (Undisclosed) Out

Buffalo Sabres

Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Kyle Okposo

Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka

Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Alex Tuch

Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Eric Robinson

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power – Connor Clifton

Ryan Johnson – Erik Johnson

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Projected)

St. Louis Blues

Pavel Buchnevich – Robert Thomas – Jordan Kyrou

Jake Neighbours – Brayden Schenn – Kasperi Kapanen

Brandon Saad – Kevin Hayes – Sammy Blais

Alexei Toropchenko – Oskar Sundqvist – Nathan Walker

Nick Leddy – Colton Parayko

Torey Krug – Matthew Kessel

Marco Scandella – Calle Rosen

Jordan Binnington (Projected)

Lineup Source: Matthew DeFranks, STL Post-Dispatch

Goalie Source: Matthew DeFranks, STL Post-Dispatch

Betting Odds Breakdown

Believe it or not, the Sabres are fairly large favorites at home against the Blues. The sportsbooks imply about a 59% chance of Buffalo winning, compared to PuckLuck’s 53%.

The edge today is clearly on St. Louis, although after taking into account standard error and likeliness of the bet hitting, the +1.5 goal puckline at -205 grades out stronger than the moneyline.

If you’re looking for a betting edge on the game total, it’s not there. With 6.06 projected goals in the game and most sportsbooks setting the total at 6, going either over or under is not likely to earn you a desirable amount.

Look for this to be a tight one, with overtime potentially in our sights.

For more betting analysis across the NHL, be sure to head over to PuckLuck.com.

*PuckLuck.com provides data related to gambling and cannot guarantee the success of any suggested or related wagers. Please gamble responsibly.*