- 1 Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres: a winless road trip ends, a tired opponent arrives
- 2 Chicago Blackhawks: 2.18 goals a game and the league’s worst faceoff numbers
- 3 Buffalo Sabres: Thompson’s 10 goals and a penalty kill at 69.6%
- 4 Free NHL Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres: a winless road trip ends, a tired opponent arrives 
Nine road games, no wins. Chicago’s away record reads 0-8-1 after Saturday’s 9-2 loss in Carolina, and Thursday opens a four-game homestand.
The Blackhawks have dropped six straight, five in regulation, and sit last in the Central Division at 4-13-1 with 9 points. Their four wins have all come at the United Center, where they’re 4-5-0. That split is the only reason this game isn’t a straight write-off for the home side.
Buffalo arrive with 19 points from 16 games, sixth in the Atlantic. They beat Columbus 5-2 at home on November 6, Josh Norris scoring twice and Owen Power adding three assists. The Sabres have been better on the road (4-1-3) than at KeyBank Center (4-4-0).
Puck drops at 8:00pm ET on Thursday 12 November. The scheduling detail that matters: Buffalo host Tampa Bay on Wednesday night, then fly to Chicago. Thursday is the back end of a back-to-back. Chicago have been idle since Saturday.
The recent head-to-head is one-sided. Buffalo won 4-3 in regulation on October 3 at home. Last season they beat Chicago 9-3 in November 2025 and 5-1 at the United Center on April 13, 2026.
Chicago Blackhawks: 2.18 goals a game and the league’s worst faceoff numbers 
Before Saturday, Chicago averaged 2.18 goals per game and allowed 3.94. The 9-2 night in Raleigh pushed the goals-against figure above four. They’re getting outshot 30.5 to 23.1 on an average night.
The power play has scored on 9.8% of chances. At the dot, the Blackhawks win 42.2% of draws, the lowest rate in the NHL. Starting most shifts without the puck is one reason the shot count looks the way it does.
Connor Bedard is back from left shoulder surgery in July and has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) in 12 games. Ilya Kantserov leads the team with 9 goals and scored again in Carolina. Patrick Kane, signed in the summer on a two-year, $8 million deal, has 9 points but hurt his upper body on November 2 against Colorado and missed the road trip.
Bowen Byram is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since October 13. That leaves a young blue line: Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel all dressed on Saturday.
Spencer Knight has started 14 of the 18 games. He’s 4-10-0 with a 3.66 GAA and an .881 save percentage. Arvid Soderblom has been worse in a small sample: 0-3-1, 4.67 and .842.
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Buffalo Sabres: Thompson’s 10 goals and a penalty kill at 69.6% 
Tage Thompson leads Buffalo with 19 points, 10 of them goals. Jack Quinn has 16 (9 goals), and the two defensemen running the back end are also the main passers: Owen Power has 12 assists, Rasmus Dahlin 7 in 13 games. Zach Benson leads the team with 13 assists.
Buffalo score 3.06 goals per game and concede 3.25. The weakness is short-handed. The penalty kill sits at 69.6%, and the power play converts 15.1%. A Chicago team at 9.8% on the man advantage isn’t the opponent best placed to punish that.
Their road form is the reason I lean their way. In late October the Sabres went to the West Coast and came back with wins in San Jose (2-0), Anaheim (7-6) and Los Angeles (3-2). They’ve lost just once in regulation away from home all season.
The goaltending is split. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has 10 starts with a 3.27 GAA and .878 save percentage. Ellis has six starts, a 2.92 GAA and .891. With games on Wednesday and Thursday, I’d expect one of each.
The roster changed shape in the summer. Alex Tuch left for Washington in a sign-and-trade on June 25, and Buffalo also sent Byram to Chicago in a June 23 deal that brought back Louis Crevier and the fourth overall pick. The Sabres have scored 49 goals this season without him.
Probable lineup Chicago Blackhawks: Spencer Knight in goal; Bedard, Kantserov, Teravainen, Nazar, Bertuzzi, Frondell up front; Levshunov, Korchinski, Rinzel, Vlasic, Kaiser, Cole on defense (lines not announced)
Probable lineup Buffalo Sabres: Goaltender not announced (Luukkonen or Ellis); Thompson, Quinn, Benson, Norris, Ostlund, Zucker up front; Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson, Zellweger, Timmins, Metsa on defense (lines not announced)
Free NHL Prediction: Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres
Our prediction: Buffalo Sabres to win (moneyline, overtime included)
Chicago have scored 2 goals or fewer in four of their six straight losses. Buffalo have scored at least 3 in four of their last six games, and they’ve beaten the Blackhawks in each of the last three meetings by a combined 18-7.
The back-to-back is the honest worry. Buffalo play Tampa on Wednesday, and the team on rest usually gets a lift in the first period. I’ve weighed it, and it doesn’t outweigh a 23-shot-a-night offense that wins four faceoffs out of ten.
I’m including overtime because Chicago at home have been stubborn enough to drag games along, and a 3-on-3 period suits Thompson and Quinn more than anyone in a Blackhawks sweater. Buffalo, one way or another.
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