{"id":487768,"date":"2026-04-13T08:39:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=487768"},"modified":"2026-04-13T08:39:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:39:29","slug":"nhl-predictions-chicago-blackhawks-vs-buffalo-sabres-april-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/04\/13\/nhl-predictions-chicago-blackhawks-vs-buffalo-sabres-april-13\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres, April 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions! Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> look to get back into the win column against the Buffalo Sabres<\/a>. Each day, our writers here at <\/span>Last Word On Hockey <\/i>analyze the day\u2019s games and provide in-depth analysis. We break down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make predictions based on how they might play out. \u00a0<\/span>Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NHL Predictions: Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres<\/h3>\n

Time:\u00a0<\/strong>8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

Season Series:\u00a0<\/strong>Buffalo leads 1-0<\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/a> TV:\u00a0<\/strong>ESPN+, CHSN, MSG-B<\/p>\n

Location:\u00a0<\/strong>United Center<\/p>\n

The first time these two opponents met, the Sabres drubbed the Hawks by a score of 9-3. The game was never competitive, as the Sabres jumped out to a 3-0 lead, thanks to goals from Josh Doan<\/a>, Jason Zucker<\/a> and Bowen Byram<\/a>. Tyler Bertuzzi<\/a> answered to make it 3-1. In the second, Ryan McLeod<\/a> and Mattias Samuelsson<\/a> scored eight seconds apart to make it 5-1 Buffalo, before Alex Vlasic<\/a> got on the board. To cap off the scoring in the second, Doan netted his second of the game to give the Sabres a 6-2 lead heading into the final frame. Bertuzzi also netted his second of the night 24 seconds into the third period, but Buffalo once again answered with three unanswered. Tage Thompson<\/a>, Jack Quinn<\/a> and Jacob Bryson<\/a> closed out the scoring to give the Sabres their decisive 9-3 lead. Arvid Soderblom<\/a> was between the pipes for all nine goals, so the Hawks are hoping for a more inspired goaltending performance tonight.<\/p>\n

Blackhawks Need to Find Positive Momentum<\/h3>\n

The Hawks have not started their season-ending homestand on the right foot, dropping their third-straight game to the St. Louis Blues<\/a>. Ilya Mikheyev<\/a> provided most of the Hawks’ offence. He netted goals in the second and third periods, but it was not enough to overcome St. Louis’ attack. Ryan Greene<\/a> netted the other Blackhawks’ goal, as Connor Bedard<\/a> collected his 43rd assist of the season. Soderblom was between the pipes for this one, meaning Spencer Knight<\/a> should be back in the crease tonight. As always, be sure to check social media for starting lineups and starting goaltender information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The lone bright spot in the Hawks’ effort on Saturday was the push the club made in the third period. After falling behind 5-2, Chicago put together a big late-game push, even netting one to get back within two. Though they did not even the score, many of the Hawks’ top players had their chances, including Anton Frondell<\/a>, who chipped in six shots in the game and was the team’s most dangerous offensive threat. If this trend continues, the Hawks should see their fortunes change and be back in the win column. On the injury front, Frank Nazar<\/a> left Saturday’s game after being hit in the face with a puck. His status for tonight’s game is still up in the air.<\/p>\n

\n

Blashill said Frank Nazar “will be alright,” just needed some dental work. Avoided worst-case scenario.<\/p>\n

Mangiapane and Del Mastro are both day-to-day.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

(Credit Image: \u00a9 Anthony Nesmith\/Cal Sport Media)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sabres Looking to Enter Postseason on Hot Streak<\/h3>\n

The Sabres thumped the Blue Jackets<\/a> on Thursday night to pick up their third-straight win. Peyton Krebs<\/a> opened the scoring in the first, but the Sabres did not cash in again until the final frame. They cashed in a big way, scoring four unanswered to pull away and secure the win. Josh Doan netted two goals in the frame, while Jack Quinn and Rasmus Dahlin<\/a> scored the other two markers. The story of this one, however, was the play of Buffalo netminder Colten Ellis<\/a>. His 37-save shutout provided the Sabres with what they needed to come out victorious. Expect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen<\/a> back between the pipes tonight to gear up for the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Sabres come into this one atop the Atlantic Division, battling neck-and-neck with the Canadiens<\/a> and Lightning<\/a>. Before their current three-game win streak, the team had stumbled to a 2-3-2 record in their previous seven games, so they are finding their game at the right time. Getting up to playoff speed is the team’s top priority now, and two points in this one would go a long way. This team poses a massive challenge for the Hawks, as their team speed is a lot to handle for most teams. Thompson and Dahlin lead the charge, while Alex Tuch<\/a>‘s 31-goal campaign has been a major factor in their success. Sam Carrick<\/a> and Noah Ostlund<\/a> continue to miss time with injury, but the team has more than enough firepower to take down the Hawks.<\/p>\n

Game Prediction<\/h3>\n

Expect the Hawks to come out inspired, but the Sabres will likely prove to be too much to handle. We like Buffalo to earn the victory.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Buffalo wins 5-3<\/em><\/p>\n

Prop Bets<\/h3>\n

We like Zucker to light the lamp for the Sabres tonight at +210. He had three points in Buffalo’s victory in November.<\/p>\n

We also like Greene to get on the score sheet at +490 odds. He has played well of late and registered a point in November’s matchup.<\/p>\n

Main photo by: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images<\/span><\/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 another edition of NHL Predictions! Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks look to get back into the win column against the Buffalo Sabres. Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey analyze the day\u2019s games and provide in-depth analysis. We break down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make predictions based […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5245,"featured_media":487779,"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":[4524,3,27,4547,4548],"tags":[6254,6233,2139,7787],"class_list":["post-487768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-predictions","category-sabres","category-blackhawks","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-buffalo-sabres-predictions","tag-chicago-blackhawks-predictions","tag-rasmus-dahlin","tag-ryan-greene"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487768","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\/5245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487768"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":487780,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487768\/revisions\/487780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}