Game #43
Vancouver Canucks (28-11-3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (18-20-4)
Puck Drop: 4:00 PM EST, KeyBank Center
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR-550
Know Your Opponent
Vancouver Canucks
Record: 28-11-3
Last Game: 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins (OT)
Division Ranking: 1st in the Pacific Division
PP Ranking: 10th (23.53%)
PK Ranking: 21st (78.23%)
What to Watch
1) Can the Sabres Slow Down the High-Flying Canucks?
The Vancouver Canucks lead their division, winning 28 games so far and four of their last five. The Sabres and Canucks, both NHL teams that joined the league in the same year, 1970, have played each other more than once.
Buffalo has a record of 53-56-19 against Vancouver, but the Blue and Gold won three of the last four matchups. However, the Canucks prevailed in the most recent contest on Nov. 15, 2022.
It’ll be up to the home team if they want to win this one. The Sabres have shown they can come away with two points when they decide to. The question for fans is which Buffalo team will show up, the one that plays a tough 60 minutes of hockey or the one that lets in a big early lead and can’t come back?
2) Will UPL Rise to the Occasion?
Buffalo Sabres backup goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had a pretty solid SV% over his last four starts, getting .893, .976, .990 and .879, respectively. His season SV% so far is .899, not his best but slightly better than his career average. Buffalo also won three of the last five matchups he was in front of the net, including the team’s last game against Ottawa.
The Sabres need UPL to be the goaltender who’s shown glimpses of greatness. Of course, the D can’t let opposing players hang around Buffalo’s net and get rebounds, but Luukkonnen needs to block some shots. Like the rest of the team, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s Ukko-Pekka Looks Locked In or Ukko-Pekka Looks Lost in this contest.
3) The Tantalizing Thompson
Sabres head coach Don Granato said there was a “possibility” center Tage Thompson could play in the game against the Canucks. TNT, after scoring two early goals against the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, suffered an undisclosed injury and missed practice on Friday.
Fans hope to see him on the ice. With fellow forward Jeff Skinner out week-to-week or even “Indefinitely” according to CBS Sports, the Blue and Gold need all the top scorers they can muster.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Casey Mittelstadt – *Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Zach Benson – Jordan Greenway – Kyle Okposo
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Eric Robinson
*Tage Thompson will be a game-time decision
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Mattias Samuelsson
Owen Power – Erik Johnson
Ryan Johnson – Connor Clifton
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (likely starter), Devon Levi
Vancouver Canucks
Forwards
Elias Pettersson – J.T. Miller – Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua – Teddy Blueger – Conor Garland
Ilya Mikheyev – Pius Suter – Andrei Kuzmenko
Nils Hoglander – Nils Aman – Sam Lafferty
Defense
Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy – Tyler Myers
Nikita Zadorov – Ian Cole
Goaltenders
Thatcher Demko (likely starter), Casey Desmith
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