Buffalo vs Washington Prediction 7 January 2025

🔊 Can the "Sabres" challenge the leader of the Eastern Conference? After a brief surge with three consecutive wins, Buffalo has returned to its old ways and started losing to everyone again. Washington, on the other hand, is maintaining its level of play and continues to hold the top spot in the East. Alexander Ovechkin is getting closer to his main goal - the countdown can begin.

📊 Head-to-head

The opponents met in the current regular season in mid-December. The "Capitals" secured a hard-fought home victory with a score of 4:1. Tom Wilson scored twice, John Carlson made a hat-trick of assists, all in the absence of the team's injured captain. Since then, Washington has only gotten stronger, which cannot be said about the home team.

🔵 Buffalo

Lindy Ruff's men are firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and are falling further behind the playoff zone. In the last three matches, the "Sabres" have suffered three defeats, and there's no end in sight to this unfavorable trend. In terms of key statistical metrics for goals scored (122) and conceded (137), the team isn't the worst. However, achieving consistently positive results isn't happening.

🔴 Washington

The capital team is simultaneously pursuing its two main goals. On one hand, the club intends to compete for the Stanley Cup this year and is doing everything necessary at this stage. On the other hand, Washington's captain Alexander Ovechkin is approaching Wayne Gretzky's record for goals scored, with only 22 goals remaining. There's a high probability that the Russian will break the "eternal" NHL record before the end of the current regular season. Incidentally, the upcoming opponent is well-suited for another success by the star forward.

🔗 Projected Lineups

Buffalo: Luukkonen - Dahlin, Byram - Zucker, Cozens, Thompson

Washington: Lindgren - Carlson, Sandin - Raddysh, Strome, Ovechkin

🥅 Goalkeepers

Buffalo's goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was benched for the game against Vegas by the coaching staff's decision. However, his counterpart James Reimer couldn't secure a win over one of the Western leaders (1:3), though he performed excellently at times on the ice. Nonetheless, the Finn remains the team's first choice and should provide his teammates with the necessary boost.

Washington's goalie Charlie Lindgren continues to split playing time evenly with Logan Thompson, and unlike his partner, the American regularly loses his matches. He couldn't handle Boston (85.2%), Detroit (85.7%), and Minnesota (90.9%). As seen from the statistics, he looks better each time, but it's still not enough.

📝 Editorial Prediction

The uncertain actions of both teams' goalkeepers clearly indicate a high probability of a large number of goals in the upcoming match. It's also worth noting Buffalo's extremely shaky defense and their regular breakdowns. The club from the US capital should secure a convincing victory in terms of score and gameplay. However, as our main betting option, we'll go with a wager on - total over 5.5 goals.