Buffalo Sabres vs Winnipeg Jets Prediction & Odds - 12/05/2024

The Buffalo Sabres (11-12-2) will host the Winnipeg Jets (18-8-0) at KeyBank Center on Thursday night, with both teams desperately looking to snap their respective four-game losing streaks.

The Jets, who started the season as one of the NHL's hottest teams, have suddenly cooled off, scoring just one goal in three of their last four games despite boasting the league's second-best power play at 32 percent efficiency.

Buffalo enters the contest following a devastating 5-4 loss to Colorado where they surrendered a four-goal lead, highlighting their defensive struggles that have them ranked 19th in the league allowing 3.12 goals per game.

The matchup features an intriguing battle between goaltenders, with Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck (.927 save percentage) facing off against Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.906 save percentage).

Recent history favors the Jets, who have won six of their last nine meetings against the Sabres, including a convincing 5-2 victory in their previous encounter at KeyBank Center.

With Kyle Connor leading Winnipeg's offense with 29 points and Buffalo's Alex Tuch contributing 23 points, this Eastern Conference clash promises to be an compelling test of two teams seeking to rediscover their winning form.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Winnipeg Jets prediction: who will win?

For tonight's Buffalo Sabres vs Winnipeg Jets matchup, our predictive model gives the Jets a 62.5% chance of defeating the Sabres.

Winnipeg Jets: 62.5% win probability

• Superior goal-scoring ability (95 goals for vs Sabres' 76)
• Better overall record (18 wins vs Sabres' 11)
• Stronger defensive performance (67 goals against vs Sabres' 78)

Buffalo Sabres: 37.5% win probability

• Poor recent form (LLLLW in last 5 games)
• Lower points total (24 points vs Jets' 36)
• Negative goal differential (-2 vs Jets' +28)

At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model combines insights from top NHL experts. Instead of sifting through hundreds of expert analyses across the web, you can rely on our predictions to understand the market's overall sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analyzing predictions, data, and opinions, and our AI assigns a confidence level to each prediction. We then average these levels to produce an 'expert opinion' win probability—reflecting the collective intelligence of the industry's leading NHL experts.