Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals NHL Predictions
2024-12-14 • Capital One Arena
Washington Capitals 4 - 2 Buffalo Sabres
📊 Pre-Game Predictions
Win Probability
WSH: 55.4%
BUF: 44.6%
Expected Goals
WSH: 3.57
BUF: 2.65
Total Goals
Median: 5.9
Over 5.5: 56%
Over 6.5: 45%
🥅 Goalie Matchup
WSH
Logan Thompson - 15-11-3 | 0.913 SV% | 2.39 GAA
BUF
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - 7-5-1 | 0.903 SV% | 2.46 GAA
| Stat | WSH | BUF |
|---|---|---|
| Season SV% | 0.913 | 0.903 |
| Last 5 SV% | — | — |
| SV% vs Opponent | — | — |
| GAA | 2.39 | 2.46 |
Last 5 / vs opponent shown when available in goalie stats. Confirmed goalie row used when available; otherwise current projected starter is shown.
Goalie Game Metrics
| Team | Goalie | SA | Saves | GA | SV% | xGA | HD Faced | GSAx |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | Logan Thompson | 21 | 19 | 2 | 90.5% | 2.14 | 0 | 0.14 |
| BUF | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 31 | 27 | 4 | 87.1% | 4.55 | 3 | 0.55 |
SA uses shots on goal plus goals. xGA, high-danger faced, and GSAx use modeled scoring attempts against. GSAx is xGA minus goals against.
Head-to-Head History
Model accuracy in this matchup: 67% • WSH at home vs BUF: 3-1
| Date | Score | Winner | Model Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-04 | WSH 6 - 2 BUF | WSH | WSH |
| 2026-03-12 | BUF 1 - 2 WSH | WSH | BUF |
| 2025-11-01 | BUF 4 - 3 WSH | BUF | WSH |
| 2025-03-30 | WSH 5 - 8 BUF | BUF | WSH |
| 2025-01-06 | BUF 4 - 3 WSH | BUF | BUF |
Shot Quality by Period
| Period | Team | Shots | High Danger | xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WSH | 17 | 0 | 1.26 |
| 1 | BUF | 15 | 0 | 0.54 |
| 2 | WSH | 19 | 0 | 1.21 |
| 2 | BUF | 14 | 0 | 1.29 |
| 3 | WSH | 12 | 3 | 2.09 |
| 3 | BUF | 10 | 0 | 0.31 |
Shots are modeled attempts: shots on goal, goals, and missed shots. Blocked shots are excluded. High danger is xG >= 0.20.
📈 Post-Game Analysis
Prediction Result
✅ Correct
Confidence: 55.4%
Total Goals
Actual: 6.0
Expected: 6.2
Score Breakdown
Washington Capitals 4 - 2 Buffalo Sabres
Expected: 3.6 - 2.7
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