{"id":458742,"date":"2024-12-17T09:18:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T14:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=458742"},"modified":"2024-12-17T09:18:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T14:18:21","slug":"nhl-predictions-dec-17-buffalo-sabres-vs-montreal-canadiens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/17\/nhl-predictions-dec-17-buffalo-sabres-vs-montreal-canadiens\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Dec 17 Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to the return of NHL Predictions. Each day,\u00a0Last Word on Hockey<\/em> takes a look at the games that are happening and gives our predictions for each one, breaking down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play in. We also have a featured game of the day, which is considered must-watch TV. Today\u2019s featured game is the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> vs Montreal Canadiens.<\/a>\u00a0Be sure to check out more\u00a0NHL predictions\u00a0in the coming days as the 2024-25 season continues.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n

Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens<\/h3>\n

Head-to-Head: Sabres 0-1 Canadiens<\/h4>\n

Time:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n

TV:<\/strong> MSG Buffalo; TSN2; RDS; ESPN+<\/p>\n

We open NHL predictions with our featured game between the Sabres and the Canadiens. Buffalo has dropped 10 straight games and even owner Terry Pegula has made the trip to Quebec. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen<\/a><\/span> is the expected starter for the Sabres, but always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. The Sabres have only managed three points in the last 10-game span. Baldwinsville, NY native Alex Tuch<\/a> has nine goals and 16 assists for the Sabres.<\/p>\n

Sam Montembeault<\/a><\/span> is the projected starter for Montreal, which won a wild 7-5 game with Buffalo on November 11. The Habs are 4-5-1 in the last 10 and have dropped two straight games. Veteran forward Brendan Gallagher<\/a> has scored eight goals with six assists for the Canadiens. Cole Caufield<\/a> has warmed back up with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last 10 games.<\/p>\n

The pressure is on Buffalo to break through, but Montreal piles onto the misery.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Canadiens win 5-3.<\/em><\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Tampa Bay Lightning<\/h3>\n

Head-to-Head: Blue Jackets 1-0 Lightning<\/h4>\n

Time:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n

TV:<\/strong> Fan Duel Sports Ohio; Fan Duel Sports Sun; ESPN+<\/p>\n

Our second game of NHL predictions has the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>. Elvis Merzlikins<\/a><\/span> is the likely starter for Columbus, which has lost four consecutive games. The Jackets are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games heading into this one. Kirill Marchenko<\/a> has been a steady force for the team with 11 goals and 18 assists for the Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n

Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a><\/span> is the expected starter for the Lightning, who are 6-4 in the last 10 and have taken the last two games. Jake Guentzel<\/a> has been on fire as of late with 10 goals and three assists over the last 10 games. Tampa Bay is looking for revenge after a high-scoring 7-6 game on November 21.<\/p>\n

This game should be lower-scoring and Tampa Bay gets the win.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Lightning win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n

Washington Capitals vs Chicago Blackhawks<\/h3>\n

Time:<\/strong> 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/p>\n

TV:<\/strong> Chicago Sports Network; Monument Sports Network; ESPN+<\/p>\n

The last game of this set of NHL predictions has the Washington Capitals<\/a> taking on the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a>. Logan Thompson<\/a> is the expected starter for Washington, which is 8-1-1 in the last 10 games. Aliaksei Protas<\/a> has been solid for the club with 11 goals and 15 assists for the Capitals.<\/p>\n

Arvid Soderblom<\/a> is slated to get the call in between the pipes for Chicago, which is 3-7 in the last 10 games. The Blackhawks have struggled at home with a 5-8 record this season. Taylor Hall<\/a> has been playing well as of late with five goals and three assists over the last 10 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Washington has been playing well as of late and should get the victory.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Capitals win 4-1.<\/em><\/p>\n

Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n

We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets<\/a>. Let’s focus on the featured game between Buffalo and Montreal. Both teams can score, but also struggle on defence at times. Take the over of six at -106 at BetMGM.<\/p>\n

Main photo by: David Kirouac-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to the return of NHL Predictions. Each day,\u00a0Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are happening and gives our predictions for each one, breaking down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play in. We also have a featured game of the day, which is considered must-watch TV. Today\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":136528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4547,7,4548,4524],"tags":[6254,6233,6083,6016,6391,6239],"class_list":["post-458742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sabres","category-hockey","category-canadiens","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","tag-buffalo-sabres-predictions","tag-chicago-blackhawks-predictions","tag-columbus-blue-jackets-predictions","tag-montreal-canadiens-predictions","tag-tampa-bay-lightning-predictions","tag-washington-capitals-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":458743,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458742\/revisions\/458743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}