Sabres vs Sharks Prediction, Picks, Odds & Props for Thursday (Mar. 19)

• I’ve made my Sabres vs Sharks prediction for Thursday’s late game at SAP Center
• Buffalo rides a franchise-record road point streak into San Jose as -140 favorites
• Keep reading for my Sabres vs Sharks picks, odds and props for Thursday night

Buffalo’s franchise-record road point streak gets its toughest late-night test Thursday when the Sabres visit the Sharks at SAP Center. The Sabres are sitting atop the Atlantic Division and fighting for the number one seed in the East, while San Jose is stuck in a losing skid and watching their Western Conference wildcard hopes fade fast.

Puck drop is set for 10 pm ET from SAP Center in San Jose, California. Let’s get into my Sabres vs Sharks prediction, picks and NHL odds for Thursday night.

Sabres vs Sharks Prediction

• Sabres ML (-140 at Bet365)

Buffalo is 10-1 on the road over their last 11 games and 8-1 as a favorite over their last nine. The Sabres have also dominated this matchup, going 6-1 against San Jose over their last seven meetings. Those aren’t small samples, and the underlying numbers back up the trends.

Sabres vs Sharks Key Stats

The gap is clear across the board. Buffalo scores more, allows less, and stops pucks at a much higher rate. The Sabres’ .901 team save percentage compared to San Jose’s .885 is significant, and their penalty kill at 83.2% is one of the better marks in the league.

San Jose gives up over 30 shots per game and is just 2-7 after a loss over their last nine. The Sharks are constantly under pressure in their own end, and Buffalo is built to exploit that. My Sabres vs Sharks prediction is on the moneyline at -140.

Sabres vs Sharks Picks

Two shots props jumped out to me when building my Sabres vs Sharks picks tonight.

• Tyler Toffoli Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+110 at DraftKings)

Toffoli has cleared 2.5 shots on goal in six straight games against Buffalo, averaging 4.33 per game in that stretch. A 100% hit rate in a specific matchup at plus money is about as clean as it gets. The Sharks will likely be playing from behind, and Toffoli stays aggressive on the trigger regardless of score.

• Josh Norris Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (-127 at Caesars)

Norris has gone over 1.5 shots on goal in four straight road games, averaging 3.0 per contest. That’s a low bar against a San Jose team giving up 30-plus shots a night, and Buffalo should be controlling possession for most of the game. I’ll close out my Sabres vs Sharks picks with the Norris over.

Sabres vs Sharks Odds

Buffalo’s -140 moneyline at bet365 translates to roughly a 58% implied probability, while San Jose’s best price is +124 over at DraftKings. The puck line has the Sabres at -1.5 (+165) and the Sharks at +1.5 (-195). The total sits at 6.5 with the over at -135.

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Sabres vs Sharks Projected Lineups

Puck drop for Thursday’s cross-conference matchup is set for 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT from SAP Center in San Jose.

Buffalo Sabres Projected Lines

Forwards:

Zach Benson – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Noah Ostlund – Josh Norris – Josh Doan
Peyton Krebs – Sam Carrick – Beck Malenstyn

Defense:

Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram – Owen Power
Logan Stanley – Luke Schenn

Goalie: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Luukkonen has been rock solid this season with a 16-8-2 record, 2.60 GAA and .908 save percentage in 27 starts. Alex Tuch is listed as day-to-day with an illness and could miss Thursday’s game. Other Sabres injuries include Jordan Greenway (abdomen), Conor Timmins (leg), Justin Danforth (lower body), and Jiri Kulich (ear, out for season). Tanner Pearson (lower body) is also day-to-day.

San Jose Sharks Projected Lines

Forwards:

Collin Graf – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith
William Eklund – Michael Misa – Tyler Toffoli
Pavol Regenda – Alexander Wennberg – Kiefer Sherwood
Barclay Goodrow – Zack Ostapchuk – Adam Gaudette

Defense:

Dmitry Orlov – John Klingberg
Mario Ferraro – Nick Leddy
Sam Dickinson – Vincent Desharnais

Goalie: Alex Nedeljkovic

Sabres vs Sharks Goalie Stats

Nedeljkovic has posted a .902 save percentage in 30 appearances, but the Sharks give up over 30 shots per game, so he’s constantly under fire. Yaroslav Askarov is day-to-day with a lower-body issue, while Ty Dellandrea (lower body) and Igor Chernyshov (concussion) are also out of the lineup.