Colorado vs. Buffalo: NHL Match Prediction
On January 3, there will be a duel between Colorado and Buffalo. The Avalanche are currently in great shape and are on a long winning streak, unlike the Blades, who can’t find stability. The hosts often ended previous matches against the Sabres in their favor. Should we believe in their success this time? What is the best bet? Find the answers to these questions in the forecast

Command Analysis

Colorado Avalanche

Current form
Colorado has already risen to sixth place in the Western Conference and continues to please its fans with great results. The team has often had winning streaks lately, and in the last five games it also celebrated success. At the same time, the Avalanche usually dealt with their opponents without any problems and won with a difference of two or three goals. Let us recall that they dealt with Anaheim on the road (4:2), beat Seattle at home (5:2), and after another away victory over Utah (4:1), with the support of the home stands, they proved their superiority over Winnipeg with a score of 5:2.
It is worth mentioning that the club demonstrated decent efficiency in most cases and opened up the opponents' defense at least four times. In general, the team is now one of the most scoring in its conference and has already managed to score 125 goals this season. Oddly enough, the Avalanche most disastrous performance is the first period, in which they have a 30:45 ratio of goals scored and goals conceded, but they often end the third twenty minutes in their favor.
It is also worth mentioning that Jared Bednar team plays the power play well and currently ranks 11th in the league in this indicator, with a 23.5% conversion rate. This is not surprising, since the team is full of skilled forwards who are able to take the game on themselves, so they skillfully use the numerical advantage.
Disqualifications and injuries
Ivan, Landeskog, Kylington, Poolman and Wood will not play in the upcoming match due to injuries.
Interesting trends for betting
- Colorado gets 6.79 penalty minutes per game.
The Avalanche are usually eliminated no more than three times per game.
- According to statistics, the Avalanche take an average of 30 shots on goal
The team is one of the most shooting in the league.

Buffalo Sabres

Current form
Buffalo is currently in the last place of the Eastern Conference and has 32 points. Formally, the team is the main outsider in the standings, but due to the high density of competition, it can at any moment approach the playoff zone, from which it is separated by only eight points. Note that in December, it faced a long series of defeats and for a long period of time could not pull itself together. Despite this, before Christmas, the Blades crushed the Islanders (7:1), and after the break, they dealt with Chicago (6:2) and St. Louis (4:2).
True, in the final confrontation with Dallas, the club still suffered a defeat with a score of 2:4, while failing to open the opponent defense more than twice. It is worth saying that the Sabres adhere to an exclusively open style of play and always try to act on the counter-courses, which is why they are one of the most conceding clubs in the league.
Usually Lindy Ruff team plays well in the first twenty minutes, in which they currently have a 41:29 ratio in goals scored and goals allowed, so they often go into the first break with a minimal advantage for themselves. However, the second period is already going badly for them, since in the game with the far benches they often fail in defense and "cut off", which is why they often concede.
Disqualifications and injuries
Greenway will not be able to help his team in the upcoming match.
Interesting trends for betting
- Buffalo gets 9.84 penalty minutes
The team has discipline issues and is usually sent off around five times per match
- Buffalo has a 16% power play percentage.
According to this indicator, the Blades occupy 27th position in the championship
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
In four out of five matches between the clubs, the first period was productive
1.75Bet 3rd period: home team win
In the last five matches, the hosts have achieved success in the third period
2.00Tip and bets
Colorado is still in great shape and is on a long winning streak, so it certainly doesn’t intend to interrupt it against Buffalo, especially playing at home. The Sabres have shown weak results on the road this season and often lose in regulation time. Plus, they have mediocre statistics on the road against opponents in the playoff zone. The Avalanche have been very confident in dealing with their opponents recently and have achieved success by a difference of several goals, so, in our opinion, it makes sense to bet on their victory again.
Prediction - Colorado win for 1.75
Bet on individual total
Colorado has been showing excellent performance throughout the season and remains one of the most scoring clubs in the league. On home ice, as a rule, Jared Bednar team scores no less than four goals. In addition, the Avalanche have previously had no problems creating and converting chances in face-to-face encounters with Buffalo. Considering that the Blades themselves play mediocre defense, it makes sense to take the hosts' individual total.
We bet on the individual total of "Colorado" over 3.5 goals for 1.90
Total Bet
Previous meetings between the clubs have been quite spectacular and often ended with seven or more goals scored. The Blades play exclusively open hockey and always try to act on counter courses. They themselves have been using their chances well lately, but still missed a lot. Based on this, we expect to see at least six goals in this match.
We take the total over 5.5 pucks with the coefficient 1.60