San Jose Sharks vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The San Jose Sharks (10-30-3) started 2023-24 slow, and unfortunately, things have only gotten worse from that point, and without any elite talent coming through the pipeline, it appears that the rebuild for the Sharks is going to be a long, painful experience that's going to get worse before it gets better.
In this one they'll battle the rising Buffalo Sabres (18-21-4), who took a major step forward a season ago, and while they've not continued on that trajectory this season, there's a clear improvement with this franchise, and if they continue on this way, they could be a playoff team in the crowded Eastern Conference in no time.
Can the Sharks find some positives from their season?
The San Jose Sharks came into the season with a few solid veterans, but without the depth of talent that many other teams possess, they just haven't got rolling, tallying just one victory in their past 14 games, taking their season total to 10-30-3, putting them last in the standings in not only the Pacific Division but the entire NHL as well. On the road this year things have been unsurprisingly ugly too, with the Sharks managing just a 4-18-1 victory in their 23 games, and with a -87 goal differential on the season, it's tough to have confidence that they could beat any of the other 31 teams in the NHL right now.
Despite the overall struggles, the veteran duo of Tomas Hertl and Mikael Granlund have impressed for San Jose, tallying 30 and 29 points respectively, and in net they are watching a solid campaign from young goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, despite his numbers not looking great at 3.84 GAA and an .892 save percentage. Last time out for the Sharks was another tough loss on the road to the Ottawa Senators, as the team fought valiantly behind Mario Ferraro's three assist night to keep it close, but ultimately Blackwood stopped just 36 of the 41 shots he saw on the night, allowing the Senators to pick up the tight 5-4 victory.
Can the Sabres push for an unlikely playoff berth?
The Buffalo Sabres won the hearts of many hockey fans with their tremendous performance a year ago, and with the addition of some solid talent, many expected them to take a huge leap forward in 2023-24. Unfortunately, things haven't looked fantastic as of late, with the team posting a 5-6-1 record over their past 12 games, seeing them sit in the all too familiar seventh spot in the Atlantic Division, despite there being just one point between them and the sixth place Canadiens. The Sabres have been mostly solid at home this year with a 9-11-1 record in their past 21 games played on home ice, but with a -15 goal differential, the playoff drought that many hoped could be broken this year is likely to live on for at least one more season.
Leading the way for the Sabres this year has been Casey Mittelstadt with his 35 point campaign thus far, with three other Sabres over 29 points on the season, but in net is where they have struggled as Devon Levi has struggled to take a big step as their three goaltenders have combined for a 3.30 GAA and an .891 save percentage. Last time out for Buffalo was a tough loss at home against the Vancouver Canucks, with an incredible effort from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopping 22 of the 23 shots he saw on the night, but given the futility from the Sabres offense, it wasn't enough as they fell in a valiant effort 1-0.
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Full-Game Side Bet
Rating:
Throughout the past few years, no teams in the NHL have struggled more than Buffalo and San Jose, so it comes as no shock that they are 5-5 in their past 10 head-to-head encounters, dating all the way back to the start of the 2017-18 season, showing that they don't matchup often.
However, the Sabres have come away winners in their past two meetings by a combined score of 10-5, and with three wins in their past four games that have taken place in Buffalo, the Sabres deserve to be the favorites in this one and should come away with a big win on the back of a far more talented roster with home ice advantage.
Prediction: Buffalo -1.5
Full-Game Total Pick
Rating:
The goaltending for both of these teams have the potential to be great, but we just haven't seen that on a consistent basis, and with a combined 15 runs scored in their past two head-to-head battles, it's safe to say that in this one once again, there's going to be plenty of offensive fireworks.
For the Sharks, the over may just be 4-6 in their past 10 overall games, but in their past six games played away from home, they have allowed a combined 29 goals, just under six per game, and for the Sabres, the over is 5-5 over that same time, but have averaged five goals per game in their past five victories, and as the resounding favorites, that could spell trouble for the Sharks goaltending.
