Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins Prediction, 4/23/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (-110) Bruins (-110)

TD Garden is the location where the Boston Bruins (45-27-10) will go up against the Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9) on Thursday in Game 3 of their 1st round series. The series is tied 1-1. The moneyline on this game has Buffalo at -110 while Boston is priced at -110. The total comes in at 6.5.

The Buffalo Sabres came up short in Game 2 by a score of 4-2. The Sabres had a rough night on the offensive side of the ice in this defeat. In the outing, they converted 2 of the 36 shots they tried. Furthermore, they had 5 attempts on the power play but weren't able to make the most of them. Buffalo amassed 47 penalty mins in this contest.

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Buffalo Sabres opponents have tallied 232 power play opportunities (19th in the league) and have earned 42 goals in those chances. The Sabres thus far have had 2,381 shots tried against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .899. Buffalo has attempted 2,307 shots and has a shooting percentage of 12.3%. When at even strength, the Sabres let the opposition score 198 goals while scoring 235 on the offensive side of the ice. Buffalo has compiled 246 power play chances and they have notched 48 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a rate of 19.51%. For the current season, the have a total of 109 points and their points percentage sits at .665. Concerning their scoring capabilities, the Buffalo Sabres have earned 283 goals (5th in the league) so far this season and have allowed 240.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. During his career on the ice, Luukkonen has accumulated 102 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is at .551. He has a save percentage of .900 for his 8,299 minutes in the crease. Luukkonen has seen 5,368 shot attempts taken against him and has accrued 4,830 saves. The opposition has racked up 538 goals against Luukkonen in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 2.91. He has accumulated a mark of 93-74-18 and was named the starter in 185 games. Luukkonen has taken the ice for 190 games during his hockey career.

Boston played well on both sides of the ice in Game 2. The Bruins scored 4 goals of the 26 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 5 power play chances in this matchup and scored 1 out of those chances.

On the season, the Boston Bruins have accounted for 268 goals, 100 points, as well as a points percentage of .610. They have permitted 247 goals to be scored by of a combination of 183 goals at even strength and 64 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Bruins are sitting with 213 goals at even strength and 55 goals (10th in pro hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have earned 235 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 23.40%. Boston has attempted 2,216 shots (21st in pro hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 12.09%, while allowing their opponents 2,435 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 76.98% on their opponents 278 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage comes in at 89.9%.

For the opposition you are likely to see Jeremy Swayman in net. His opponents are averaging 2.60 goals per game and he has allowed 617 goals altogether. Swayman's quality start rate sits at 62.4% and he has made 148 quality starts in his pro career. He got the starting nod in 237 games and has been on the ice for 10,205 minutes. Swayman is sitting with a career mark of 132-80-26 and has played in 245 games. He has recorded 6,208 saves out of the 6,825 shots tried, giving him a percentage of .910.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo (-110)

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