8:07 pm
January 13

Sabres @ Predators

Who will WIN this matchup?

Buffalo Sabres (10-19-6)

@ Nashville Predators (24-11-2)

 

Starting Goalies:

Aaron Dell (BUF): Confirmed

Juuse Saros (NSH): Likely

 

Current odds:

Buffalo Sabres: (+295)

Nashville Predators: (-345)

 

• A tough season for the Buffalo Sabres isn’t getting any easier. Mired in a six-game winless streak (0-4-2), the Sabres take a hard-hit goaltending roster into a matchup against the host Nashville Predators on Thursday.

• Already without Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski, the Sabres lost goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Malcolm Subban to injury in a 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Luukkonen (lower body) is week to week while Subban (upper body) is month to month.

• Buffalo will go with a tandem of Aaron Dell and Michael Houser for the foreseeable future. Dell is expected to get the start against Nashville.

• Dell struggled in his last stint in Buffalo, going 0-5-0 in seven appearances with a 4.52 goals-against average and .872 save percentage. Houser had been on an AHL contract in the Sabres organization and signed with the NHL club on Wednesday. The 29-year-old performed admirably in four NHL appearances last season, winning his first two NHL games — both against the New York Islanders.

• In a sliver of good news for the Sabres, forwards Alex Tuch and Kyle Okposo are expected to return after being cleared from COVID-19 protocol. Defenseman Robert Hagg, who has missed seven games with a lower-body injury will also be back in the lineup.

• The Predators have won five in a row, most recently gutting out a 5-4 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche in which the Predators had their lead erased three times. They’ve outscored their opponents 22-11 during the win streak, holding them to two goals or less in the first four wins.

• Duchene scored the overtime winner against Colorado, his second goal of the game. The 30-year-old has been enjoying a bounce-back season following an output of 13 points in 34 games last season. He leads the Predators with 16 goals, while his 33 points lead all Predators forwards and ranks second on the team behind captain Roman Josi.

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Nashville Predators
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