Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions, with us here at Last Word On Hockey. Wednesday night’s matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and the Calgary Flames is the first of the year between the clubs. It also features the worst team from each conference. Sometimes these type of bottom feeder games explode into wildly entertaining games. Fingers crossed that this one turns into a treat. Both teams’ fan bases could use some fun right about now.
NHL Predictions with the Sabres versus the Flames
2024-2025 Season Series: Sabres 1-1 Flames
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: MSG-B, ESPN+, Sportsnet One, TVAS2
Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Not Ideal Starts to the Year
Both the Sabres and Flames are having disappointing starts to the year. The Flames hold a record of 5-12-3 for 13 points, the worst in the Western Conference by a three-point margin. The Sabres come into this one with a 7-8-4 record, the worst in the Eastern Conference by a two-point margin. The Flames are coming off of a 96-point year, just missing the playoffs. In fact, they had more points than two of the teams that made the playoffs in the east last year.
The unfortunate situation is Dustin Wolf has not been the dominant goaltender he was a season ago. With just an .896 save percentage and a 3.01 goals-against average, that’s a significant drop off from last season. They’ve played him a lot, and it just hasn’t clicked yet between the piped. For Buffalo, it’s those dang injuries. They’re up to five players injured, for a full rundown, you can click here. Buffalo has battled back into the mix in the east though. Just four points out off a wildcard spot, two points on home ice would go a long way for team morale.
Sabres Offence vs Flames Defence
The Sabres offence is being held together with super glue. Noah Ostlund and Isak Rosen are playing meaningful minutes, despite starting the year in the American Hockey League. The good news is, they’re doing well. Ostlund recorded two goals against the Oilers in the Sabres most recent game. One they’d win 5-1. Rosen is doing even better, with six points in eight games this year. The coaching staff will have a decision on their hands when Zach Benson, Joshua Norris, and Jason Zucker all return, because these two are simply too good to send down right now. The Sabres are coming off of back to back five goal wins, so they’ll look to ride that momentum into this game.
The Flames are struggling but it isn’t entirely the defence’s fault. They’ve only allowed 66 goals. Which isn’t nearly as bad as you’d expect from the last place team in the league. The one thing that could plague the Flames in this game especially is the rest. They played last night in Chicago, and lost. Playing back to back with travel mixed in as well is tough for any team, much less a team struggling. The extra motivation of losing the night before could help them or hurt them. But the travel legs should be noticeable, and that will be something the Sabres should hope to capitalize on.
Prediction & Key Outcomes
Both of these teams could really use a win. Calgary is at risk of dropping both parts of a back to back. And the Sabres can shoot themselves back into the mix in the East with two points, making it their third win in a row. The Sabres are more rested, riding more momentum, and overall the better team on paper. Granted this game is between the worst team in each conference, the Sabres look to be the better team as of late.
The prediction: Buffalo Sabres 5 – Calgary Flames 2
Best Prop Bets to Watch
Lets get weird for the Sabres. Their young guns are firing. Lets ride that momentum. Look for Ostlund to score in this game on the power play, with Rosen collecting an assist at any point in the game. If you want a safe bet Tage Thompson looks really good as of late, and should collect a point against the worst team in the league. For the Flames, Nazem Kadri usually has some success against the Sabres. Look for him to have a point in this matchup.
Main Photo: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
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