Buffalo Sabres - Seattle Kraken predictions and free betting tips [10/01/2024]

The Buffalo Sabres are set to face off against the Seattle Kraken in an upcoming regular NHL championship match.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres currently reside at the lower end of the Eastern Conference, but they've recently improved their standing thanks to a series of successful matches, including 3 victories out of their last 5 games. Their gap with the play-off zone has been reduced to a few points. The team was particularly impressive in their two successive games, achieving this for the first time since October. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played a key role, making 40 saves in their game against Pittsburgh, a match which the Sabres won 3:1. In that game, Zemgus Girgensons scored the decisive goal, with Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch also netting pucks.

The team's improved performance is led by players like Casey Mittelstadt, who tops the team with 33 points, including 22 assists, and Rasmus Dahlin with 32 points, 12 of which are goals. Jeff Skinner and JJ Peterka have also contributed significantly, having 31 and 26 points respectively. The goalie line, led by Luukkonen with stats of 8-8-2 and a save percentage of 89.9%, also includes Devon Levi (8-6-2 and a save percentage of 89.3%) and Erik Comrie (4.01 GAA with a mere 86.3% save percentage) — with the latter two falling short of expectations. Despite recent successes, the Sabres struggle in matches where they are the favourites, having lost their last 4 of such encounters.

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken have recently shown impressive results, having won six consecutive matches and setting a franchise record with ten consecutive games securing points (8-0-2). Key to these achievements is goaltender Daccord, the replacement for injured Philipp Grubauer. Daccord has been mighty impressive with stats of 7-0-2, a goals-against-average (GAA) of 1.31, .958 save percentage and two shutouts. The Kraken's defensive performance has been particularly effective, allowing only five goals in their last six games. Defence player Vince Dunn, leading the team with seven goals and 26 assists, plays a pivotal role in the team's success.

The Kraken also demonstrated their potential by winning over teams as diverse as Ottawa, Vegas, Philadelphia, Calgary, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. Kraken centreman Matty Beniers highlighted the importance of Daccord's input, his winning mindset, and his role as an impenetrable wall for the team. The Kraken are also beginning to bring back their injured players: Andre Burakovsky scored his first goal in almost a year in their last victory over Ottawa, and forward Jaden Schwartz who had been the team's point leader early in the season, is expected to return in tomorrow's game following an upper-body injury.

Head-to-head

Since the beginning of the NHL history, the Kraken has never lost against Buffalo, winning all of the 4 encounters. In a meeting on January 11th, 2023, Seattle took the victory 4:3. On October 26th, 2022, Seattle outplayed Buffalo with a 5:1 score. On November 30th, 2021, Seattle triumphed again, this time 7:4. On November 5th, 2021, Seattle won the matchup 5:2.

Match prediction: Buffalo Sabres - Seattle Kraken

I believe that the upcoming match between Buffalo and Seattle promises to be interesting, and my forecast leans in favour of a Seattle win on the road. The Kraken are showing impressive form, with six wins on the trot, indicating their stability and efficiency, especially in defence. Their defensive play appears particularly formidable indicated the mere five goals they've let in over the past six matches. On the flip side, Buffalo's goalie line seems to be struggling and could be a decisive factor in this match. Buffalo's unreasonable goaltending may provide Seattle with additional scoring opportunities.