Sabres vs. Jets: Projected Lines, Betting Odds, How to Watch & More 3/3/24

The Buffalo Sabres [29-28-4] are coming off a big win at home Saturday as the Winnipeg Jets [38-16-5] come into town looking to test their luck. The Sabres are hot, winning five of their last six games. The Jets have been one of the NHL’s top teams all season, boasting the league’s third-best goal differential at +40.

Must Read: Sabres Win 7-2 Over Eichel-less Vegas

How to Watch

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

TV: NHL Network; MSG (Buffalo); TSN3 (Winnipeg)

Stream: MSG+

Radio: WGR550

The Sabres

The Sabres exploded for seven goals on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights, showing flashes of their offensive potential. Every forward line and defense pair seemed to be clicking, so head coach Don Granato has to balance rest with chemistry in any lineup decisions today.

One major decision is whether to play one of the league’s most proficient goaltenders over the past two months on back-to-back nights. Granato said yesterday that the decision to play backup Eric Comrie or ride Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would come down to “workload and response”.

Luukkonen faced only 24 shots from the Golden Knights as most of the play was in the Vegas end. With two days rest and an easy travel day to Toronto for Wednesday’s game against the Maple Leafs, this seems like a prime opportunity to stay with the hot hand.

The Jets

Injuries to some key role players have shuffled Winnipeg’s lineup lately, but their progress has not been deterred. In their last 10 games, the Jets have gone 8-2-0.

Their lineup is structured to have two scoring lines at the top and a strong shutdown line in the three-hole centered by team captain Adam Lowry. Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton have been his running mates for the majority of the season, and the line draws the opponent’s top lines game-in and game-out.

With the Sabres having the last change after the Jets show their hand, expect Granato to keep the surging Tage Thompson line away from Lowry as much as possible.

Injury Report

Buffalo

• Erik Johnson (Illness) Day-to-Day
• Jack Quinn (Lower Body) Out 3-5 Weeks [IR]
• Mattias Samuelsson (Upper Body) Out For Season [IR]

Winnipeg

• Brenden Dillon (Illness) Day-to-Day
• Gabriel Vilardi (Upper Body) Out

Projected Lines

Buffalo Sabres

Jordan Greenway – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Jeff Skinner – Casey Mittelstadt – Kyle Okposo

Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka

Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Eric Robinson

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power – Jacob Bryson

Connor Clifton – Erik Johnson

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Projected)

Lineup Source: Projected

Goalie Source: Projected

Winnipeg Jets

Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Nikolaj Ehlers

Vladislav Namestnikov – Sean Monahan – Alex Iafallo

Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton

Morgan Barron – David Gustafsson – Rasmus Kupari

Josh Morrissey – Dylan Demelo

Dylan Samberg – Neal Pionk

Logan Stanley – Nate Schmidt

Laurent Brossoit (Confirmed)

Lineup Source: Projected

Goalie Source: Mitchell Clinton, WPG Jets

Betting Odds Breakdown

If it is Luukkonen in the net, the under is the way to go on this Jets and Sabres matchup. Luukkonen and Winnipeg goalie Laurent Brossoit have some of the best rate stats among all goaltenders this season. With the PuckLuck model predicting the total goals to be right at the 5.5 set by the sportsbooks, the plus-money payout is well worth the 50-50 odds.

If you’re more of a straight moneyline bettor or even looking to bet the spread, the vig built into the sportsbook odds eliminates any edge of betting either side. For example, PuckLuck sets the line at -110 for Winnipeg but the sportsbooks will only pay you -120 per the consensus. For Buffalo at +110, the +100 consensus payout is also lower than you’d want.

Can you make a wager on either side based on a whim? Sure, but betting like that is not a good method for sustainable success.

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.*