Buffalo Sabres at Dallas Stars NHL Predictions
2024-12-31 • American Airlines Center
Dallas Stars 4 - 2 Buffalo Sabres
📊 Pre-Game Predictions
Win Probability
DAL: 63.2%
BUF: 36.8%
Expected Goals
DAL: 3.69
BUF: 2.75
Total Goals
Median: 6.1
Over 5.5: 62%
Over 6.5: 46%
🥅 Goalie Matchup
DAL
Casey DeSmith - 9-2-4 | 0.912 SV% | 2.44 GAA
BUF
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - 7-5-1 | 0.903 SV% | 2.46 GAA
| Stat | DAL | BUF |
|---|---|---|
| Season SV% | 0.912 | 0.903 |
| Last 5 SV% | — | — |
| SV% vs Opponent | — | — |
| GAA | 2.44 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | Casey DeSmith | 23 | 21 | 2 | 91.3% | 3.07 | 2 | 1.07 |
| BUF | Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 33 | 29 | 4 | 87.9% | 4.43 | 5 | 0.43 |
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: 73% • DAL at home vs BUF: 3-2
| Date | Score | Winner | Model Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-08 | BUF 0 - 4 DAL | DAL | BUF |
| 2026-04-15 | BUF 3 - 4 DAL | DAL | BUF |
| 2025-12-31 | DAL 1 - 4 BUF | BUF | DAL |
| 2024-12-31 | DAL 4 - 2 BUF | DAL | DAL |
| 2024-10-22 | BUF 4 - 2 DAL | BUF | BUF |
Shot Quality by Period
| Period | Team | Shots | High Danger | xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAL | 17 | 1 | 1.44 |
| 1 | BUF | 12 | 0 | 0.55 |
| 2 | DAL | 17 | 1 | 1.14 |
| 2 | BUF | 13 | 2 | 1.85 |
| 3 | DAL | 20 | 3 | 1.85 |
| 3 | BUF | 11 | 0 | 0.67 |
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: 63.2%
Total Goals
Actual: 6.0
Expected: 6.4
Score Breakdown
Dallas Stars 4 - 2 Buffalo Sabres
Expected: 3.7 - 2.7
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