Sabres Seeking Stability Amid Struggles, Kraken Riding Momentum at Home
Buffalo Sabres vs. Seattle Kraken: Struggles and Opportunities for Both Teams
The Buffalo Sabres and the Seattle Kraken will meet on Monday afternoon for an interconference showdown in the Emerald City. Both teams enter this contest outside of the playoff picture, with the Sabres struggling to regain their form and the Kraken looking to build on their recent success. The Sabres are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at home, while Seattle managed to secure a 4-2 home victory against the Los Angeles Kings in their previous outing. The Kraken lead the all-time series 6-1, including a decisive 6-2 win over the Sabres in the first meeting of the season on January 11.
Buffalo Sabres: Searching for Stability
Buffalo’s season continues to underperform as they have now dropped two of their last three games, including a frustrating loss to the Penguins. Heading into Sunday’s action, the Sabres were 17-23-5, sitting in eighth place in the Atlantic Division, 21 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot. They’re also trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning by 14 points for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the division and are 11 points behind the Ottawa Senators for the wild card position.
One of the Sabres’ most significant struggles has been their defensive issues. The team allows an average of 3.38 goals per game, ranking 29th in the league for goals against. Despite having a solid offensive output, averaging 3.02 goals per game (14th overall), their inability to prevent goals has cost them dearly. The Sabres’ power play has also been a weak point, operating at just 17.7%, ranking 27th in the league.
Against the Penguins, Buffalo fired 42 shots on goal but ultimately couldn’t convert enough to secure a victory. Despite leading 1-0 after the first period and dominating the shot totals, the Sabres allowed three goals in the second period and couldn’t recover. Owen Power provided a bright spot, scoring his sixth goal of the season on the power play. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, who is expected to start against Seattle, made 14 saves on 19 shots in the loss.
Seattle Kraken: Momentum at Home
On the flip side, the Seattle Kraken are in a better spot, but they still face challenges. Entering Sunday, the Kraken were 20-24-3, sitting in sixth place in the Pacific Division, 18 points behind the division-leading Vegas Golden Knights. They’re also trailing the Kings by 12 points for the final guaranteed playoff spot and are eight points behind the Calgary Flames for the wild card position.
Seattle has struggled with consistency, going 3-5-1 in their last nine games. However, their 4-2 victory over Los Angeles marked a much-needed boost. The Kraken showed resilience, despite being outshot 30-22, and got stellar performances from Jaden Schwartz, who scored a hat trick, and goaltender Joey Daccord, who made 28 saves to secure the win. Schwartz now has 16 goals on the season, leading the team, and his recent play has been key to Seattle’s offense.
Like Buffalo, Seattle has had issues with both offense and defense. The Kraken are 19th in goals per game (2.89) and 19th in goals allowed per game (3.15). Their power play has been ineffective as well, operating at 18.2% (25th in the league), while their penalty kill has been similarly ineffective, ranked 23rd at 76.6%.
Conclusion
The Buffalo Sabres are desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but their defensive struggles and power play inefficiency could continue to plague them. Seattle, on the other hand, has been playing better hockey recently, and the team’s offense, led by Schwartz and Beniers, could be the difference in this game. The Kraken’s home ice advantage, coupled with Buffalo’s road struggles, makes Seattle the slight favorite to come out on top in this interconference battle.
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