Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
The Buffalo Sabres began their West Coast tour after a setback against the Pittsburgh Penguins (2:5), which concluded their home series. They start with a clash against the Seattle Kraken, who previously defeated the Sabres during that series with a 6:2 result.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken have garnered exactly half of their points while playing at home (10-10-3). Although this isn’t an extraordinary achievement, it remains better than the Sabres' record (9-12-3). Since December, they have suffered regulation-time defeats at the Climate Pledge Arena to clubs that are already playoff certainties or strong wildcard contenders, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning (1:5), Ottawa Senators (0:3), and New Jersey Devils (2:3). The last loss against an outright underdog was versus the San Jose Sharks back on 30 November (2:4). Moreover, the Kraken recently triumphed over the Los Angeles Kings (4:2), who are currently seventh in the Western Conference.
Buffalo Sabres
As mentioned above, the Buffalo Sabres have been losing to average teams even when playing at home. On the road, their success rate is also below 50% (8-11-2). Their performance tipped into negative territory between mid-December and mid-January, where they managed only three victories in 10 matches. They extended just one game to overtime, against the Colorado Avalanche (5:6 OT), which in itself was disappointing, as they were leading 5:3 less than four minutes from the end of the third period before conceding two goals, including the equaliser with eight seconds remaining.
Seattle Kraken vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction
The Seattle Kraken hold a clear advantage in head-to-head meetings. Since their inception in autumn 2021, the Kraken have defeated the Sabres in six out of seven encounters. Despite both teams being rated nearly equally, our prediction is a win for the Seattle Kraken.
