Welcome back to NHL Game Day Predictions. Daily, the Last Word on Hockey team brings you a prediction and analysis of every game on the schedule. This will also feature a significant game on the schedule that is must-watch hockey. Today’s featured game is the Tampa Bay Lightning vs the Buffalo Sabres.
NHL Predictions Including the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Buffalo Sabres
Head-to-Head: Tampa Bay 0-0 Buffalo
The 2019 NHL Global Series has sent Buffalo and Tampa Bay overseas, to Stockholm, Sweden. This is a big game for several players, mostly on Buffalo’s bench. Marcus Johansson, Victor Olofsson, Rasmus Dahlin, Johan Larsson, Lawrence Pilut, and Linus Ullmark all come from Sweden and will have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, Victor Hedman is the only Swedish player on the roster and is looking good for a return from the injured reserve.
Keep your eyes open for this matchup. Buffalo has surpassed the wildest expectations of most fans and spectators of hockey with their strong start to the year. Sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division, the Sabres are looking like they are built to win hockey games. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, has been a far cry from where they were a year ago, with a meagre six wins on the year through 13 games.
Prediction: Buffalo wins 3-2.
Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings
Head-to-Head: Boston 0-0 Detroit
The Boston Bruins have looked every bit as dominant this year as they did last year. This team is still hungry for a championship after a heartbreaking game seven loss in the Stanley Cup Final last season. The “Perfection Line” of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand are determined to get them back to the Finals. They have been the unstoppable force for Boston’s offence this season and they should continue that against Detroit.
After a tough road loss to the New York Rangers, the Detroit Red Wings look to bounce back at home. Boston will be a tough matchup for this team, as Detroit sits near the bottom of the standings. Something Red Wings fans will want to keep their eyes on is the addition of centre Robby Fabbri. In his fourth NHL season, Fabbri has struggled to some extent and Steve Yzerman is likely hoping to turn around the career of the former first-rounder.
Prediction: Boston wins 5-1.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Winnipeg Jets
Head-to-Head: Vancouver 0-0 Winnipeg
Many knew the Vancouver Canucks were on the rise. The additions of Tyler Myers and J.T. Miller would bring this team up a notch. On the backs of Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Bo Horvat, Vancouver has risen to a 9-3-3 record to this point in the season. The Canucks have exceeded expectations this season and look strong enough to steal a win in Winnipeg.
Losing Dustin Byfuglien hurt the Winnipeg Jets and everyone knew it would. But Winnipeg has looked like a shadow of the team that was a major contender in the Western Conference. It is still early in the season and they have time to turn things around (see 2018-19 St. Louis Blues), but that needs to start sooner than later. They need wins in the big games and this is one of them.
Prediction: Vancouver wins 2-1.
New Jersey Devils vs. Edmonton Oilers
Head-to-Head: New Jersey 0-1 Edmonton
The turnaround for the New Jersey Devils over the last few seasons has been incredible. They went from playoff team to worst in the league in just one offseason and stayed at the bottom last season as well. Things do not look much better this year, as they sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. With the likely loss of Taylor Hall in the coming months, things look bleak for the Devils.
The Edmonton Oilers have won the James Neal–Milan Lucic trade from what we have seen so far. While Neal’s production has slowed since the start of the season, he has looked much better than Lucic. Add in the fact that he plays on a team with Connor McDavid
and Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton looks primed for a playoff run, as they sit near the top of the standings.
Prediction: Edmonton wins 5-2.
That does it for NHL predictions for today’s slate of games. Be sure to check back tomorrow for more predictions.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
