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Buffalo Sabres: 3 bold predictions for Week 12 (Redemption Time)

By Sion Fawkes

BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 31: Alex Tuch #89 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins during the second period with his teammates Owen Power #25, Tage Thompson #72, Ilya Lyubushkin #46 and Jeff Skinner #53 at the TD Garden on December 31, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Sabres won 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 31: Alex Tuch #89 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins during the second period with his teammates Owen Power #25, Tage Thompson #72, Ilya Lyubushkin #46 and Jeff Skinner #53 at the TD Garden on December 31, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Sabres won 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Sabres only have two games on the slate this week as they look to redeem their loss to the Ottawa Senators this past Sunday. 

The Buffalo Sabres dropped their most recent contest, and though they played an excellent game, the Ottawa goaltender, Anton Forsberg, enjoyed a lights-out performance. This week, the Blue and Gold play Alexander Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals before they return home on January 7th for a tilt with the Minnesota Wild.

Can the Sabres redeem their most recent loss? Here are three bold predictions for the week.

1 – Buffalo Sabres hold Ovechkin to ZERO points

Hey, if you want to go bold, go ultra-bold here. The Sabres will play the Capitals in a thriller, and it will end with zero points for the red-hot Alexander Ovechkin.

Along with Tage Thompson, Ovechkin was one of the three stars for the month of December. And he has been playing like a man 10 years his junior all season long.

But the Blue and Gold rise to the challenge, stop Ovechkin in his tracks, and force the Caps to use other means to try and win this one. And while they are holding Ovechkin in check, one of their own will have a big game.

2 – Tage Thompson has two legendary performances

Flash back to December 1st, 2022, and I would have simply predicted the big man to enjoy two multi-point games. These days, it’s not uncommon for Tage to completely take over a contest, so this time, he’s taking over two of them.

The Capitals and Wild are two remarkable hockey teams, and the Buffalo Sabres will need someone to step up big if they plan on winning. Who else than the brewing legend in Tage Thompson?

3 – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen makes his case

Clearly, we’re about to have a goaltender controversy with Eric Comrie on the verge of returning. But don’t expect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to go quietly. This is a goaltender who has shown immense sisu on plenty of occasions, and he will show it once more with at least one stellar outing over at least one of these two games.

UPL will continue to make his case to remain in the NHL long-term, and there have been times that we had seen some legendary performances in the net. And this all came after we all (myself included) started to write the Finn off as a bust following his first few games between the pipes.

Must Read. Sabres: One bold prediction for each rookie in 2023. light

I’m not saying he will post a shutout, but I am looking for something in the realm of a 0.920 save percentage and a 2.5 GAA or less. When that happens, the Buffalo Sabres must make the right decision and keep the hot hand in the NHL.

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