3 bold predictions for the Buffalo Sabres heading into Week 14
With a 2-0-0 record to end Week 13, the Buffalo Sabres broke through a plateau and have brought some optimism, so perhaps it’s safe to get bold.
The Buffalo Sabres can finally celebrate winning back-to-back hockey games, but they are still a long way from winning back respect, and only consistency will help them there. However, given their success to kick off the new year, it’s okay to get a little bolder for Week 14, and you will see what that means below.
One particular player will tie his career-high in goals scored, so that should hint you in on possibly a pair of players. A line that earned some respect last week will keep up their solid play, and a unit will also help the Blue and Gold score more W’s. For an in-depth look at these bold predictions for Week 14 of this roller coaster season, keep reading.
Bold predictions for the Buffalo Sabres going into Week 14
1 - Rasmus Dahlin ties career-high in goals scored
Rasmus Dahlin once scored five goals in five straight games, which occurred back in October 2022. And after recording a pair of goals in as many contests last week, even if they were empty-netters, he will continue that trend in Week 14, sinking three and tying his career-high of 15 in just 42 games.
This isn’t to claim Dahlin will score one goal per game like he did over those five games last season, as he can always log multiple in a single outing. But the Sabres second-leading scorer points-wise may be getting on a hot streak, so why not make the prediction?
2 - Fourth line continues to impress
The Sabres fourth line showed up and helped the Blue and Gold end their infamous losing streak following a win in Saturday’s victory over the Penguins. This week, the fourth line, assuming we see the Girgensons-Krebs-Robinson setup at some point, will once again build traffic around the net and make life tough for the opposition.
Look for either Girgensons, Krebs, or Robinson to score again this week, or at least set up opportunities. And it will, in turn, force opponents to at least think about accounting for what might just become a gritty fourth line as captain Kyle Okposo recovers from injury. Victor Olofsson should also rotate in and out this week, so be aware of his potential presence too.
3 - Goaltending tandem earns at least one win apiece
In this week’s Burning Questions piece, the inquiry was raised of whether the Buffalo Sabres young goaltending unit of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will continue their dominance. While this is a young goaltending tandem that many in the Sabrehood weren’t sure about before the season began and were right about their skepticism a few times this season, Levi and Luukkonen have also enjoyed their fair share of success.
But for now, it appears they are heading back toward the peaks and will shy away from the valleys, so Levi and Luukkonen will each snag not just a win each, but also a dominating win. They more than performed well enough for the fans to be optimistic that they will continue their current trend in Week 14.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)