Dallas Stars (30-13-6) vs. Buffalo Sabres (22-23-4)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Dallas Stars
Record: 30-13-6 | 66 PTS
Last Game: 5-4 OT win vs. the Washington Capitals
Last 10: 7-2-1
Division Ranking: 2nd in Central Division
PP: 13th (22.6%)
PK: 6th (82.9%)
What to Watch
1. Can They Finally Get Three?!
Still unable to do so, the Sabres are once again looking to earn three consecutive wins for the first time this entire season. In their two most recent matchups – against the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, respectively – Buffalo put up five goals in each game, leading them to victory both times. They have another difficult opponent in Dallas tonight, whose record should concern the home team. They will most certainly need to score big (and early on) if they expect to have a chance at that win streak.
Incidentally, the Stars have tallied five separate streaks of three or more wins since the start of the 2023-2024 season.
2. What a Difference a Year Makes (or Doesn’t)
The last time these two teams met was almost a year ago, in March 2023. Dallas dominated in a 10-4 victory and, well, at that point, the Sabres were attempting a playoff push and their future looked pretty bright. As for this year, well, the Stars find themselves realistically hunting for the playoffs.
Dallas forwards to keep an eye on tonight include Tyler Seguin – who leads his club in points with 29 in 33 games – and veteran Joe Pavelski, who has tallied seven points in his last four games.
3. Time to Step Up
Plagued with bad luck and disgruntled fans, the Sabres also find themselves riddled with some substantial injuries. Zemgus Girgensons and Erik Johnson have been battling through minor upper-body injuries and were just cleared by doctors to play tonight. Jack Quinn – perhaps the most gut-wrenching of the injuries as he already missed 32 games this year – finds himself done for the remainder of the season following lower-body surgery. The surgery came after suffering a shove from Sharks forward Tomas Hertl in Buffalo’s last game and requires at least eight weeks of recovery. This may take him to the last few games of the season, but who knows? Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson joins the surgery-required upper-body injury list as he will also miss the rest of the season. This is the first season of his seven-year contract extension and, well, it does not seem to be going as planned.
Fans should expect both line and defensive pairing shakeups tonight, to say the least, and for players like Dylan Cozens (who has seven points in the last four games) and Zach Benson to step up in the absence of Quinn. Head Coach Don Granato also shared that the team is “in a better place psychologically” than at the beginning of the season. Tonight is the night to show that, boys.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Kyle Okposo
Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka
Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Alex Tuch
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Eric Robinson/Victor Olofsson
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Owen Power – Connor Clifton
Ryan Johnson – Erik Johnson/Jacob Bryson
Goaltenders: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (expected), Eric Comrie (recalled from Rochester on January 28)
Dallas Stars
Forwards
Mason Marchment – Matt Duchene – Tyler Seguin
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Wyatt Johnston
Jamie Benn – Sam Steel – Joe Pavelski
Craig Smith – Radek Faksa – Evgeni Dadonov
Defense
Thomas Harley – Miro Heiskanen
Ryan Suter – Nils Lundkvist
Esa Lindell – Jani Hakanpaa
Goaltenders: Jake Oettinger (expected), Scott Wedgewood