Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres: Game preview, predictions and odds | December 27, 2024

The Chicago Blackhawks are on the road to play the Buffalo Sabres on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Chicago (12-21-2) is coming off a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Buffalo (12-19-4) snapped its 13-game losing streak with a 7-1 win over the Islanders.

Blackhawks vs Sabres: Head-to-head & key stats

• Chicago is 58-57-13-3 all-time against Buffalo
• The Blackhawks are 5-13-2 on the road
• The Sabres are allowing 3.4 goals per game
• Chicago is averaging 2.57 goals per game
• Buffalo is averaging 2.94 goals per game
• The Blackhawks are allowing 3.2 goals per game
• The Sabres are 6-10-3 at home

Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres: Preview

Chicago is coming off a close loss to Minnesota before the Holiday Break. The Blackhawks are led by Connor Bedard (30 points), Teuvo Teravainen (23) and Ryan Donato (20 points).

The Blackhawks are expected to start Petr Mrazek who's 7-12-1 with a 2.94 GAA and a .902 SV%. In his career against Buffalo, Mrazek is 7-6-1 with a 3.08 GAA and a .892 SV%.

The Sabres will start Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who is 9-11-3 with a 3.03 GAA and a .895 SV%. In his career against Chicago, Luukkonen is 3-0 with a 1.33 GAA and a .951 SV%.

Tage Thompson leads Buffalo with 26 points, followed by JJ Peterka, Alex Tuch, and Rasmus Dahlin, all of whom have 25.

Blackhawks vs Sabres: Odds & Prediction

Chicago is a +150 underdog while Buffalo is a -180 favorite, the over/under is set at 6 goals.

The Sabres ended its massive losing streak right before the holiday break and now Buffalo should be able to get a winning streak going. The Blackhawks have struggled on the road this season while Luukkonnen has played Chicago well in his career.

Luukkonnen's success will continue here as Buffalo will have some confidence after its blowout win over the Islanders. The Sabres will start out strong and get a big win at home to extend its win streak to two.

Prediction: Sabres 3, Blackhawks 2.

Blackhawks vs Sabres: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Buffalo ML (-180)

Tip 2: Under 6 goals (-112)

Tip 3: JJ Peterka 3+ shots on goal (-120)