NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Blackhawks vs Sabres (Wednesday, January 17)
Via Ben Ludeman/Getty Images. Pictured: Casey Mittelstadt #37 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates his third period goal with teammates on the bench during an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings on December 5, 2023 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Editor's note: Blackhawks vs Sabres has been postponed to Thursday at 7 p.m. ET because of travel restrictions in Buffalo.
Blackhawks vs. Sabres Odds
| Blackhawks Odds | +230 |
| Sabres Odds | -290 |
| Over / Under | 6 -110/ -110 |
The Sabres earned a 3-0 victory against the lowly Sharks on Monday, and they'll look to keep rolling against the equally disappointing Blackhawks.
Let's examine if Buffalo should expect another win as we preview the contest and offer a Blackhawks vs. Sabres prediction.
The Blackhawks rank 31st in the league, ahead of only the Sharks, in the standings, so under normal circumstances the Sabres would be regarded as heavy favorites, but it looks even worse for Chicago tonight.
For starters, the Blackhawks are entering the second half of a back-to-back set. Chicago is 0-7-0 when playing on no rest, so it's fair to believe fatigue might diminish the Blackhawks' chances on Wednesday.
Petr Mrazek started Tuesday, so that leaves backup Arvid Soderblom as the probable goaltender Wednesday night. However, Soderblom has been dreadful this campaign with a 2-13-1 record, 4.01 GAA and .875 save percentage in 18 outings. His last win was Nov. 24 in a 4-3 overtime victory against Toronto.
Soderblom is unlikely to get that level of goal support Wednesday. Through the Blackhawks' first 43 games, they averaged just 2.26 goals per game, ranking 31st in the league, but the offense is now even worse than normal because they're missing forwards Andreas Athanasiou (groin), Anthony Beauvillier (finger), Nick Foligno (finger), Taylor Hall (knee), Tyler Johnson (foot) and — most importantly — Connor Bedard (jaw).
There's really no silver lining here; this is Buffalo's game to lose.
So what are the chances the Sabres falter in a game they're supposed to win? There's at least a chance of it.
Buffalo is the better team, but with a 19-21-4 record, the Sabres have their own problems. The forward corps has underperformed this campaign and is consequently tied for 22nd with 2.95 goals per game.
The Sabres are also missing Jeff Skinner, who leads the team in goals (17) and is third in points (33). Sure, his absence doesn't put the Sabres at the same level of hardship as the Blackhawks, but at the least, they're not ideally equipped to take advantage of Soderblom.
Goaltending will also be key. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been fantastic recently, posting a 1.40 GAA and a .950 save percentage over his last five outings, including a 28-save shutout over the Sharks on Monday. However, he's started Buffalo's last three games, so there's a decent chance Buffalo will get Devon Levi into his first game since last Tuesday.
Levi has an 8-7-2 record, 3.32 GAA and .889 save percentage in 19 outings in 2023-24, and he's been even worse recently with a 3.90 GAA and an .868 save percentage over his past six contests.
Even despite all that, though, it's hard to paint the Sabres as anything other than clear favorites. Factoring out Skinner, Buffalo still has five players (Casey Mittelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka) who rank ahead of Chicago's top healthy skater in the scoring race. Plus, the game is in Buffalo, and the Blackhawks are a horrendous 4-18-1 on the road.
ESPN Bet is here! Maximize your NHL betting action with our exclusive ESPN BET promo code TANBONUS.
Blackhawks vs. Sabres
Betting Pick & Prediction
FanDuel's moneyline is offering a potential payout of just -275 for taking Buffalo, which speaks to how poorly Chicago is regarded, especially under current circumstances.
However, taking the Sabres on the puck line, where the spread is 1.5 goals in favor of Chicago, offers a respectable return of -110, and that strikes me as the play.
Any team can pull off an upset any night, but things couldn't be stacked against Chicago much more than they presently are, so there's little reason to pick this of all games to side with the underdog.
Pick: Buffalo Sabres -1.5 (-110 | Play to -120)
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
