- What: Seattle Kraken vs Buffalo Sabres
- When: Tuesday January 9th
- Where: KeyBank Center
The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to stop the red-hot Seattle Kraken in their tracks on Tuesday night when they host the Pacific Division club. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 PM EST at KeyBank Center. Seattle has won six in a row and just beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 last Thursday. After a slow start, it appears the Kraken are starting to turn things around. As for Buffalo, they grabbed a big victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins over the weekend, their second consecutive win. Keep reading for the Kraken vs Sabres picks.
Before we get into the odds and preview, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.
Kraken vs Sabres Odds
There's no clear favorite here. The Kraken sit at -105 odds, while the Sabres come back at -107. The total in goals is set at six. There have only been four meetings all-time between these two teams, but Seattle has won every single one.
Seattle Finding Their Way
The Kraken surprised a lot of people across the NHL last season with their impressive playoff run. But, the early beginnings of the 2023-24 campaign weren't exactly great for Seattle, sitting towards the bottom of the Pacific Division. And while a six-game winning streak doesn't totally mean the Kraken are on their way to being a contender again, it's definitely a step in the right direction.
Dave Hakstol's team is also 8-0-2 in their last 10 games. Sure, Seattle is scoring a boatload of goals, but they're coming out on the winning end and defending well. The Kraken has beaten the likes of the Golden Knights, Flames, Kings, Ducks, and most recently the Sens during this hot streak. The offense was thriving against Ottawa, with four different players getting on the scoresheet in Yanni Gourde, Vince Dunn, Tomas Tatar, and Andre Burakovsky. Veteran Jordan Eberle also tallied two assists. In net, Joey Daccord made 32 saves to grab his 10th victory of the season.
Finding the back of the net has been an issue for Seattle overall though, scoring only 2.69 goals per game. That ranks 28th in the league. The Kraken also ranks towards the bottom of the NHL on shots on goal. There just isn't enough production, but perhaps better days are ahead. For what it's worth, there are only three scorers in double digits. That's not going to cut it. And Vince Dunn, who is a defenceman, leads the team in assists with 26. If Seattle is going to be in the playoffs again, everyone on this roster needs to rise to the occasion.
Tough Year For Buffalo
It's been a long time since the Sabres made the playoffs and that drought is likely going to continue. The Sabres are seventh in the always competitive Atlantic Division with a 17-19-4 record, which is second-last. They're only above the Ottawa Senators, one of the worst clubs in the league. Like Seattle, the Sabres' major problem is putting pucks in the back of the net. They're 22nd in goals with three per night and also struggle on the power play, sitting 28th in PP advantage percentage.
Leading the way for Buffalo is Casey Mittelstadt with 11 goals and 22 assists in 40 games. He's one of six players who have scored 10 or more goals in 2023-24. Rasmus Dahlin is also playing well, scoring 12 and assisting 20. The offense is really doing their thing lately too, putting six past the Habs in a 6-1 victory before a 3-1 win over Sidney Crosby and the Pens. The Sabres took an early first-period lead thanks to Alex Tuch, but things stayed quiet after that until the third period.
Rickard Rakell equalized for Pittsburgh before Zemgus Girgensons scored the winner for Buffalo. Dahlin ultimately added an empty netter to seal the deal. Tuesday's matchup marks the beginning of a lengthy six-game homestand for the Sabres, who also host the likes of Vancouver, Ottawa, San Jose, and Chicago.
Kraken vs Sabres Picks
You have two clubs playing good hockey at the moment. But, it's hard to ignore Seattle's flawless track record against Buffalo. With that in mind, I have to take the Kraken moneyline with confidence. I expect them to extend the win streak to seven.
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