Sabres vs. Ducks: Projected Lines, Betting Odds, How to Watch & More 2/19/24

The Buffalo Sabres [24-26-4] are hosting the Anaheim Ducks [19-33-2] in a rare Monday matinee on Presidents’ Day. The Sabres will try to take advantage of playing one of the league’s worst teams regarding standings points and goal-differential. The Ducks are in a growth stage, looking to see what some of their top young talent can do at this point in the season.

The Sabres announced Monday morning that they have recalled defenseman Kale Clague and goaltender Dustin Tokarski, as head coach Don Granato confirmed an illness is going around the room. As a result, Eric Comrie will be scratched and Tokarski will backup Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Must Read: Sabres Force Overtime Late; Win 3-2 in Minnesota

How to Watch

Gametime: 12:30 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

TV: MSG (Buffalo); BSSD (San Diego); BSSC (Southern California)

Stream: MSG+; ESPN+ (Out of market)

Radio: WGR550

The Sabres

On Saturday, the Sabres saved another near miss in a fun, back-and-forth game in Minnesota. They’ll likely ice a similar lineup today, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in his established spot between the pipes.

One line to keep an eye on is Tage Thompson’s unit. Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Jeff Skinner struggled to get anything going Saturday after being reunited. The offensive threat on the rush and established zone time needs to be there for the top line to be successful, as they’re not very strong defensively.

The Ducks

If you want a fun new player to watch on the Ducks with Trevor Zegras out versus the Sabres, look no further than defenseman Pavel Mintyukov. Mintyukov burst onto the scene this season as a rookie. He almost immediately took over top powerplay duties and made Jamie Drysdale expendable in a trade.

Speaking of top young talent, Anaheim is loaded with it down the middle. Their top two centers are top prospects Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish, and both are key contributors at even strength and on the powerplay.

Injury Report

Buffalo

• Eric Comrie (Illness) Day-to-Day
• Owen Power (Hand) Week-to-Week [IR]
• Jack Quinn (Lower Body) Out 5-7 Weeks [IR]
• Mattias Samuelsson (Upper Body) Out For Season [IR]

Anaheim

• Brock McGinn (Upper Body) Out [IR]
• Trevor Zegras (Ankle) Out [IR]

Projected Lines

Buffalo Sabres

Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Jordan Greenway – Dylan Cozens – Casey Mittelstadt

Zach Benson – Peyton Krebs – JJ Peterka

Victor Olofsson – Zemgus Girgensons – Kyle Okposo

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Jacob Bryson – Connor Clifton

Ryan Johnson – Erik Johnson

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Confirmed)

Lineup Source: PuckLuck Projected

Goalie Source: PuckLuck Projected

Anaheim Ducks

Adam Henrique – Leo Carlsson – Ryan Strome

Frank Vatrano – Mason McTavish – Troy Terry

Alex Killorn – Isac Lundestrom – Jakob Slifverberg

Ross Johnston – Sam Carrick – Max Jones

Jackson LaCombe – Cam Fowler

Urho Vaakanainen – Radko Gudas

Pavel Mintyukov – Ilya Lyubushkin

John Gibson (Projected)

Lineup Source: PuckLuck Projected

Goalie Source: PuckLuck Projected

Betting Odds Breakdown

The strongest play in this Monday matinee between the Sabres and Ducks is to go on the under. Obviously, both teams are low scoring and Luukkonen has been outstanding in 2024. Setting the game at 6.5 seems like a big miss by the sportsbooks, and the PuckLuck model supports that notion.

If you want to lean either way on the moneyline or puckline, Anaheim is the value here. It’s not a huge edge, but considering how Buffalo has performed at home it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Ducks pulled off the upset.

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.*