The Chicago Blackhawks (11-26-4) play host to the Buffalo Sabres (21-19-2) at United Center on Tuesday. Buffalo is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 4-1 loss against the Panthers yesterday. Alex Tuch scored the only goal for the Sabres.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen only had 30 saves on 33 shots against (.909%) in the loss. Chicago is wrapping up a seven-game homestand after an 8-5 loss against the Kraken on Saturday, ending a three-game winning streak. Five players found the net for the Blackhawks.
Taylor Raddysh scored and provided two assists to share the scoring lead with Seth Jones, who had three assists. Petr Mrazek started in the loss and only had one saves on five shots (.200%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sabres won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-3 (OT) victory in October, their third straight win against Chicago. Tage Thompson led Buffalo with three points (2G 1A). Jason Dickinson, Raddysh, and Sam Lafferty were on the scoresheet for Chicago. Craig Anderson got the win despite saving only 23 of 26 shots (.884%).
FACING OFF
Buffalo is averaging 3.79 goals per game for the season, second in the NHL. The visitors will be looking to take advantage of a Blackhawks team that is allowing 3.71 goals a game (28th). Meanwhile, Chicago has found the net 2.29 times a game on average, 31st in the league, and the Sabres are allowing opponents to score 3.48 goals per game (24th).
Chicago averages fewer shots per game (26.6) than any other team in the league, while the team’s 8.6% shooting percentage is 31st. With an average of 32.2 attempts, Buffalo ranks 13th.
The Sabres’ 27.10% power play percentage is the fifth-best in the league, while the Blackhawks rank 20th with a conversion rate of 20.31%. When it comes to penalty killing, Chicago has the league’s 25th-ranked PK% at 74.02%, while Buffalo is 26th at 73.33%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 58 points this season, Thompson is the top skater for the Sabres. He has 31 goals and 27 assists in 42 games. In the net, Anderson (7-6-1) is Buffalo’s top goaltender. He has a 2.71 GAA and a .921% save percentage. Max Domi and Patrick Kane lead the Blackhawks in scoring with 30 and 28 points, respectively.
Domi has 13 goals and 17 assists, while Kane has eight goals and 20 assists. Arvid Soderblom (2-10-2) has the best goals against average for Chicago at 3.45. He has a save percentage of .894%. Mrazek (3-10-1) has played the most games in net for the Blackhawks this season. He has a 4.26 GAA and a .875% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Buffalo is 12-7-0 away from home this season. Chicago is 8-15-2 at United Center this season. Meanwhile, the Sabres are 1-6 without a day off and 1-3 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Blackhawks are 3-3 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Buffalo Sabres (-190)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your hockey needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
