Tip: Carolina Hurricanes with a firm grip on the divisional victory

Injury report as of april 7

Sabres
No injuries.

Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov (IR), Max Pacioretty (IR), Ondrej Kase (IR), Jake Gardiner (IR)

A highly motivated Devils are chasing closely behind

Carolina Hurricanes still have the grip on the victory in the Metropolitan division in their own hands. Behind them, there is a motivated and in-form New Jersey Devils with only one point less, but with one more game played. Hurricanes have everything in their own hands, but it will require a series of victories in the remaining matches to secure the victory. On Saturday, they need to secure a win to truly have a comfortable lead over the chasing Devils.

Before the loss against the Nashville Predators, the Hurricanes had started a small streak of victories, where they defeated the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, and Montreal Canadiens. In the game against Nashville, it was not entirely unexpected that the Finnish phantom goalkeeper Juse Saros once again won a game for his Predators. Carolina created significantly more chances in the game, and against an average goalkeeper, they would have had a good chance of earning points. However, Saros is perhaps the best goalkeeper in the league this season.

Buffalo Sabres isn't quite there yet, but Carolina Hurricanes are!

The Buffalo Sabres will have to wait a little longer for the playoffs, but the difference now is that they have started their journey towards becoming a playoff team again. With players like Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Rasmus Dahlin, the future looks bright for them. This season, they gave it an honest try, but they still fall a little short against the more established playoff teams. The negative xG numbers for the season also show that the team still has some work to do, especially in the defensive area behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, which is a clear area for improvement going into next season.

While Buffalo's underlying statistics (xGF%) leave something to be desired, one can't help but be impressed by Carolina Hurricanes' fantastic numbers. If we summarize the net xG, there is no team in the league with better numbers than Carolina, xG: 282,1 xGA: 207,72 (naturalstattrick). This shows a team that is doing a lot of things right. The defense is solid, and there are plenty of offensive chances being created. It should also be noted that important offensive players such as Pacioretty and Svechnikov have missed a significant part of the season, so a Carolina team with them back on the ice is a definite Stanley Cup contender.

Conclusion and prediction

Putting aside the slip-up against the Predators, the Hurricanes are in a good period where they continue to sharpen their game for the playoffs. With a win against the Sabres tomorrow, they will have a relatively comfortable distance down to the chasing New Jersey Devils. Teuvo Teravainen was also back on the ice last time, a welcome addition when Pacioretty and Svechnikov are still missing. The Sabres have had a good season, but it wasn't enough to make the playoffs this time (there is a theoretical chance, but it is almost non-existent). I believe a highly motivated Carolina Hurricanes will secure a win this Saturday!

I will play Carolina Hurricanes to win in regulation @ +104 at Unibet!