Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction: They are rivals on different levels

Prediction for the NHL Buffalo Sabres vs Tampa Bay Lightning match which will take place on January 20th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Buffalo is underachieving in the current regular season. A year ago, the Blades were one step away from the playoffs, so there was no doubt they would make it to Cup Eight, but we have never seen this. They had an excellent start to the season, but their results lowered dramatically. It was only at the very beginning of 2024 that the situation began to improve. In the last eight meetings, Don Granato's wards have suffered only three defeats and celebrated five victories. Despite this breakthrough, they remain in 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings, seven points outside the top eight.

Tampa Bay is another team not pleasing its fans with consistently good results in the regular season. However, this is unsurprising as they have been playing a similar scenario for several years. The Lightning has a very experienced and skillful team that knows the taste of big wins. Therefore, they will undoubtedly add and win several positions at the right time. John Cooper's wards began to win more often than they lost at the turn of December and January, while the regular season for them only crossed the middle. They are on the Eastern Conference standings' edge of the playoff zone.

Buffalo and Tampa Bay are rivals on different levels. They are not that far apart in the Eastern Conference standings, but there is no doubt that the Lightning will undoubtedly make it to the playoffs without any problems. Only a miracle will help the Blades get to Cup Eight. In addition, John Cooper's wards have started to find their game lately, winning more often than they lose, and are now the favorites.

The opponents are not afraid to play open and spectacular hockey, and both teams are good offensively. In the last 11 meetings, the teams have combined for 86 goals (an average of 7.82 per game), which is very high even by NHL standards.