{"id":459058,"date":"2024-12-20T13:42:48","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T18:42:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=459058"},"modified":"2024-12-20T13:42:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T18:42:48","slug":"nhl-predictions-dec-20-toronto-maple-leafs-vs-buffalo-sabres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/20\/nhl-predictions-dec-20-toronto-maple-leafs-vs-buffalo-sabres\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Dec 20 Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres"},"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 Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> vs Buffalo Sabres.<\/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

Montreal Canadiens vs Detroit Red Wings<\/h3>\n

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

TV:<\/strong> Fan Duel Sports Detroit; TSN2; ESPN+<\/p>\n

We open NHL predictions with the Montreal Canadiens<\/a> battling the Detroit Red Wings<\/a>. Montreal will start Sam Montembeault<\/a><\/span> in this Atlantic Division matchup. The Canadiens are 5-5 in the last 10 games and are coming off a victory last time out. Patrik Laine<\/a> is coming off a hat trick in the Canadiens’ 6-1 win over the Sabres.<\/p>\n

Cam Talbot<\/a> is the confirmed starter for Detroit, which is 4-4-2 in the last 10 games. However, the Red Wings have won the last two games in a row. Lucas Raymond<\/a> has notched 13 goals and 20 assists for the Red Wings.<\/p>\n

Both teams are playing better, but need a win. Detroit gets the victory at home.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Red Wings win 4-3.<\/em><\/p>\n

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres<\/h3>\n

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

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

TV:<\/strong> SNO; ESPN+; Hulu<\/p>\n

Our featured game has the Sabres hosting the Maple Leafs in the QEW rivalry. Toronto will roll with Matt Murray<\/a> in goal for his first start in ages. John Tavares<\/a> has tallied 15 goals and 14 assists for the Maple Leafs. William Nylander<\/a> has continued his great start with six goals and three assists over the past 10 games.<\/p>\n

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen<\/a><\/span> is expected to get the start in between the pipes for the Sabres. However, always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. Buffalo has lost 11 straight games and only taken three points in that time frame. Alex Tuch<\/a> has been a bright spot with nine goals with 16 assists for the Sabres.<\/p>\n

The wild card will be home Murray reacts to playing against NHL competition. However, the Leafs find a way.<\/p>\n

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

Utah Hockey Club vs Minnesota Wild<\/h3>\n

Head-to-Head: Utah HC 0-1 Wild<\/h4>\n

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

TV:<\/strong> Utah16; Fan Duel Sports North; Fan Duel Sports Wisconsin X; ESPN+<\/p>\n

The last game of NHL predictions has the Utah Hockey Club<\/a> visiting the Minnesota Wild<\/a>. Utah is 7-2-1 in the last 10 games and has three consecutive victories<\/a>. Karel Vejmelka<\/a><\/span> is the confirmed starter for Utah. Dylan Guenther<\/a> is first in goals (14) and points (30).<\/p>\n

Marc-Andre Fleury<\/a><\/span> is the confirmed starter for the Wild, who have lost two in a row. Minnesota is 6-4 in the last 10 games, but is still second in the Central Division. Kirill Kaprizov<\/a> is leading in goals (22), assists (26) and points (48) for the Wild.<\/p>\n

Utah is coming in hot, but Minnesota turns it around to get the win.<\/p>\n

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

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

We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets. The focus will go on the featured game between the Leafs and Sabres. On the Toronto side, go with Mitch Marner<\/a> to have a multiple-point night at +170. For Buffalo, go with Tage Thompson<\/a> to score at any time at +155 odds.<\/p>\n

Main photo by: Nick Turchiaro-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":459060,"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":[3,4547,4548,4524,18],"tags":[6254,6012,6016,6062,8028],"class_list":["post-459058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sabres","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","category-leafs","tag-buffalo-sabres-predictions","tag-minnesota-wild-predictions","tag-montreal-canadiens-predictions","tag-toronto-maple-leafs-predictions","tag-utah-hockey-club-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459058","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=459058"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459071,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459058\/revisions\/459071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/459060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=459058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=459058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=459058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}