Buffalo Sabres @ Calgary Flames - January 23, 2025

Oh boy, get ready because we’ve got an exciting matchup on our hands! The Buffalo Sabres are heading into Scotiabank Saddledome to face off against the Calgary Flames this Thursday, and as a die-hard Sabres fan, I can already feel the energy buzzing through my lucky jersey.

Let’s break it down: the oddsmakers have opened the Sabres as slight favorites at -102, which honestly makes sense given their recent form. Buffalo just snagged a tight 3-2 win against the Canucks as underdogs, and they’re riding high off that victory. However, let’s not kid ourselves—this season has been a rollercoaster for them with a record of 16-22-5. But when it comes to playing against Calgary? They’re 12-5 against the spread in their last 17 meetings!

Now on to the Flames. With a record of 21-15-7, they recently pulled off a commendable 3-1 win over the Jets. Their offense has been struggling though—averaging just 2.6 goals per game isn’t going to cut it when you’re facing a team like Buffalo that’s capable of racking up more than three goals on any given night (3.1 goals per game). Plus, with their power play only converting at about 20% efficiency? Ouch! If they can’t capitalize on those opportunities, they could be in trouble.

And if we’re looking at trends, Calgary’s games have leaned heavily toward the UNDER lately; they’ve seen six of their last seven games go under six goals combined! It’s not hard to see why considering both teams’ defenses are pretty decent too—Buffalo saves about 88.4% of shots while Calgary is slightly better at 90%. So if you think there will be a goal fest tonight… well, I’m not so sure.

As much as I respect what Calgary brings to the table—and yes, they’re tough competition—I truly believe that Buffalo is poised to surprise everyone tonight and snag this victory outright. It’ll be close; I’m predicting something along the lines of a low-scoring affair due to both teams’ defensive prowess and lackluster power plays.

Given all this information and stats dancing around in my head like it’s game day itself, I’m confident in saying that Buffalo will take this one home and cover that spread too! And let’s keep an eye on that total—it looks like it might fall under yet again with how these two squads have been trending.

So grab your snacks and settle in for some classic hockey action! You know where my loyalties lie: GO SABRES! 🥅🏒