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Buffalo vs. Carolina: NHL Match Prediction
Buffalo will continue to play at home on January 16, where it has been showing weak results so far. This time, the team will host a very serious opponent in the person of Carolina, which is in optimal shape. Our experts have prepared a betting tip that will help you decide on bets
Command Analysis
Buffalo Sabres
USACurrent form
It seemed that Buffalo had finally overcome another slump and returned to the winning path. The team, once again demonstrating confident play, broke a series of failures at home, where they hosted one of the main favorites of the season - Washington. From the first minutes, the Blades seized the advantage and controlled the course of the match. However, five minutes before the final siren, Washington managed to recoup, reducing the gap to a minimum. Buffalo found itself in a difficult situation, but did not give up and managed to transfer the game to overtime. In a tense fight, the Canucks were able to snatch a victory in overtime with a score of 4:3. The key moment of the match was a double by forward Tukh.
After a successful match with the Capitals, the team went to visit Ottawa, where they once again demonstrated their strength. The team showed impeccable defense, not allowing a single goal, thereby defeating the opponent dry (4:0). It is especially worth noting the excellent play of goalie Luukkonen, who reflected all 35 shots on his goal and made a shutout. Returning to the home arena, Buffalo had to continue to please fans with successful results, but in the match with Seattle suffered a crushing defeat with a score of 2:6. Until the middle of the match, the Sabres had a significant advantage of two goals, but were unable to maintain it due to constant failures in defense. This time Luukkonen showed his worst side. The club instability does not allow it to rise from the last line in the Eastern Conference standings, and the gap from the playoff zone is only growing and already amounts to 11 points, which is a lot for the tough competition of the NHL.
Disqualifications and injuries
Buffalo doesn't have any serious roster problems. Only two players are in the infirmary: Kulich and Greenway. Malenstein is also questionable.
Interesting trends for betting
- On average, Buffalo allows 3.3 goals per game.
The club main problem remains its weak defensive play.
- The Sabres converted just 17% of their power play attempts.
The team also cannot boast of a good game in the majority and rarely takes advantage of opponents' penalties.
Carolina Hurricanes
USACurrent form
After an unsuccessful performance on the road and a defeat from Tampa Bay, Carolina returned to the home arena, where they were able to rehabilitate themselves in front of the fans. In the first match, the team met with Toronto and left no chance for their opponent, defeating them with a score of 6:3. What is especially noteworthy is that the Hurricanes missed two goals at the beginning of the meeting, but did not give up, but rather picked up the pace, which allowed them to make a comeback. The attacking line showed a great game, and in particular, it is worth praising forward Staal, who scored a hat trick.
Continuing to play at home, the Hurricanes were able to not only consolidate their success, but also beat Vancouver dry (2:0). Throughout the match, the team did not allow the killer whales to create dangerous moments in their zone, and as a result, the Canucks made only 14 shots at the goal, which goalie Tokarski handled without problems, thereby making a shutout. Few could have expected that in the next match with the obvious underdog in the person of Anaheim, serious problems would arise. Carolina created serious pressure on the Ducks and made a huge number of shots, but this did not bring the desired result. It went to overtime, where in the end they had to lose (2:3). This time, the goal was defended by Kochetkov, who did not play as reliably as his teammate. Even despite this setback, the club remains in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, with 55 points, and the gap from the leader is only eight points.
Disqualifications and injuries
Andersen and Fast will definitely not be able to take part in the upcoming fight, and Carriere remains in question.
Interesting trends for betting
- Carolina averages 3.34 goals per game
The Hurricanes have been playing great offensively this season and have consistently created serious problems for their opponents' defenses.
- On average, the Hurricanes receive seven penalty minutes per game.
The club is also distinguished by good discipline and rarely breaks the rules.
Trends
Goal in each period bet - yes
In four head-to-head matches in a row, the teams scored a goal in each period
1.48Bet First Goal: Carolina
Carolina has opened the scoring in four of the five head-to-head games
1.70Tip and bets
In the upcoming match, the Carolina Hurricanes are considered to be the clear favorites, and there are several good reasons for this. Firstly, the Hurricanes are significantly superior to their opponent in all respects, which is confirmed by their stable success over the past seasons. Secondly, the Hurricanes are in excellent shape, demonstrating a high level of play and regularly scoring points in almost every match. In contrast, the Buffalo Sabres are experiencing serious difficulties this season. The team rarely achieves victories over their opponents, even despite home matches. These problems are reflected in Buffalo results, which makes them outsiders in the upcoming match and the entire league. So we suggest not to take risks, but to make a confident bet in favor of the guests.
Our prediction is Carolina victory at 1.94
Bet on total
Also, in the upcoming match, it is quite possible to expect a large number of goals scored. Buffalo has been experiencing huge problems in defense throughout the season and constantly allows opponents to realize their attacking potential, which Carolina will definitely take advantage of, given its powerful attacking line.
Betting Tip - total over 5.5 goals for 1.77
Bet on the outcome of the first period
It is worth noting that Buffalo has one of the most successful first periods. The team often shows excellent play at the beginning of the match, but loses momentum closer to the second period. So home walls should help the club give a worthy rebuff to Carolina in the starting segment.
Prediction - Buffalo will not lose in the first period at 1.50
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