NHL.com identifies key gameday matchups and players to watch throughout the 2023-24 season.
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Note: Betting lines provided by Betway (U.S., Ontario)
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1. Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, MSG-B, SNP, SNO, SNE)
DET puckline (+1.5 goals): -240
BUF puckline (-1.5 goals): +175
The Red Wings had a 5-3 road win against the Sabres on Dec. 5, but Buffalo forward Alex Tuch did not play in that game, Eric Comrie allowed four goals on 26 shots faced and Dylan Larkin, who’s currently injured for Detroit, scored two goals. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is 14-8-1 with a .931 save percentage and three shutouts since Dec. 30.
Buffalo is 6-3-1 in its past 10 games; Detroit has lost five straight, with each defeat coming by multiple goals. The Sabres are seven points behind the Red Wings and New York Islanders, who are tied for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Another new wrinkle for Buffalo compared to the earlier meeting is defenseman Bowen Byram, who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche prior to the NHL Trade Deadline and has two points (one goal, one assist) and seven shots on goal in his first two games since the trade playing mostly on the top pair with Rasmus Dahlin. Red Wings forward David Perron leads them in points (three in four games) and shots on goal (14) this month.
2. Florida Panthers at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; BSFL, BSSW)
3-way moneyline:
FLA regulation win: +145
Draw at end of regulation: +310
DAL regulation win: +140
The Panthers are tied for the NHL lead in regulation wins (36) this season, while the Stars rank 10th in that category (29). Dallas ranks second in the NHL in goals per game (3.62), while Florida is tied for ninth (3.31). The Stars are tied for the most overtime goals (eight) in the League, and the Panthers are close behind (six; tied for sixth).
Florida had a 5-4 home win in regulation against Dallas on Dec. 6, led by forward Evan Rodrigues’ four-point game (two goals, two assists) and Sam Reinhart’s three points (one goal, two assists). Stars forward Mason Marchment, who had a multipoint game (one goal, one assist) in the earlier matchup against the Panthers, his former team, has already reached an NHL career high in points (48 in 65 games) this season.
3. New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, MSG)
Over 5.5 total goals: -120
Under 5.5 total goals: +100
The Rangers visit the Hurricanes on the second leg of a back-to-back set and are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games. Carolina has the same record in that span, including three straight wins. The Hurricanes rank eighth in the NHL in goals per game (3.36) this season, and the Rangers are right behind them (3.31; tied for ninth). Carolina is outshooting New York with the fifth-most shots on goal per game (32.8) compared to the Rangers being tied for 15th (31.0). The Hurricanes have scored at least four goals in three straight games, and the Rangers have scored seven goals over their past two.
Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov has eight points (three goals, five assists) during his four-game point streak playing mostly on the top line with Sebastian Aho, who has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past five games. Wing Jake Guentzel could also make his Hurricanes debut on the second line with a fellow NHL Trade Deadline acquisition in center Evgeny Kuznetsov. For New York, Artemi Panarin has 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in his past 11 games. Vincent Trocheck has 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in his past 11, and Chris Kreider has two goals and one assist during his three-game point streak.
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