Game #27
Utah Hockey Club (10-11-4) vs. Buffalo Sabres (11-12-3)
Puck Drop: 1:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG
Know Your Opponent
Utah Hockey Club
Record: 10-11-4 | 24 PTS
Last Game: 2-1 loss to Dallas (Dec. 2)
Division Ranking: 6th in Western
PP: 16.9% (Sabres: 15.4%)
PK: 76.6% (Sabres: 80.2%)
What to Watch
1. History Being Made
Saturday afternoon’s game is truly an historic one, as it marks the first-ever meeting between the Buffalo Sabres and the Utah Hockey Club. Honestly, this may sound stupid, but it’s still cool if you think about it. The Sabres have been around since 1970, the NHL even longer, and yet with the new developments in the league, there are still “firsts” to witness.
2. The Leaders
The Utah Hockey Club is led by captain Clayton Keller, who has 22 points (7-15) in 25 games this season. Dylan Guenther leads the team with 10 goals, while Nick Schmaltz has contributed a team-high 17 assists.
Connor Ingram, Utah’s top goaltender, is nursing an injury. Karel Vejmelka is 3-7-1 on the season with a .917 save percentage and 2.38 GAA. Jaxson Stauber recently made his debut and is 1-0 on the season after recording a 29-save shutout against Vegas last weekend.
The Sabres are led by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who has an 8-6-3 record, .906 save percentage and 2.70 GAA this season. Luukkonen has already broken the 1,000 minute mark this season.
3. Gone Streakin’… in a Bad Way
If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need me to tell you that things have looked bleak for the Sabres over the last few games. The team went from a three-game winning streak right into a five-game losing skid, which (hopefully) ends this afternoon.
Those losses:
- 1-0 loss to Minnesota Wild
- 4-3 overtime loss to Vancouver Canucks
- 3-0 loss to New York Islanders
- 5-4 loss to Colorado Avalanche
- 3-2 overtime loss to Winnipeg Jets
On paper, four of those losses were by only one goal. But on the flip side, two were shutouts, plus there was the abysmal Avs loss that saw the team blow a 4-0 lead. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams spoke to media on Friday, but it doesn’t seem to have appeased anyone.
A win, or loss, this afternoon will impact how fans continue to watch this team.
After Saturday’s game, the Sabres have two more at home: Monday vs. Detroit, and Wednesday vs. the now captain-less Rangers.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jason Zucker – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka
Jiri Kulich – Ryan McLeod – Peyton Krebs
Beck Malenstyn – Tyson Kozak – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Defense
Jacob Bryson – Bowen Byram
Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju
Dennis Gilbert – Connor Clifton
Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer
Utah Hockey Club
Forwards
Clayton Keller – Barrett Hayton – Nick Schmaltz
Jack McBain – Logan Cooley – Dylan Guenther
Matias Maccelli – Nick Bjugstad – Lawson Crouse
Alex Kerfoot – Kevin Stenlund – Michael Carcone
Defense
Mikhail Sergachev – Olli Maatta
Ian Cole – Michael Kesselring
Juuso Valimaki – Robert Bortuzzo
Goalies: Karel Vejmelka, Jaxson Stauber