Buffalo Returns With a Tough Three-Game Road Trip
New Jersey Devils (28-27-2) vs Buffalo Sabres (32-19-6)
Puck Drop: 7:00 pm Eastern Time | Prudential Center | Newark, New Jersey
TV: MSG-B, ESPN+
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
New Jersey Devils
Record: (28-27-2) | 58 PTS
Last Game: Lost 3-1 to the Islanders
Division Ranking: 7th place in the Metropolitan
PP: 15th, 20.8% (Sabres: 16th, 20.1%)
PK: 19th, 79.0% (Sabres: 7th, 82.5%)
What to Watch
1. Golden Opportunity
Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson is now an Olympic gold medalist after the United States beat Canada 2-1 in overtime in the gold medal final on Sunday. He leads the Sabres in goals (30) and points (59) this year. Now he must help lead Buffalo to their first playoff appearance since the 2010-2011 season. But his return to the team might have to wait an extra game, as TNT and most of his U.S.A. teammates are in Olympic gold hangover mode.
The Sabres are in good position coming out of the break (top wild card spot) but they must continue a similar winning pace. Just about all the other teams in the Eastern Conference are playing well. Even one bad night of hockey can shift the very tight standings. Every game matters as Buffalo opens a three game road trip in New Jersey, then face Florida and Tampa back to back (where they stumbled before the Olympics kicked off).
A strong start for the Sabres would be most welcome. Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff has hinted that Tage won’t see action again until the team gets to the Sunshine State. We shall see.
2. Helping Hands
Buffalo will thankfully be getting some reinforcements back to the roster as they resume their postseason pursuit. Josh Norris has been a full participant in practice and should be in the lineup tonight. He has 17 points in his limited 19 games this year. The Sabres have greatly missed his offensive contributions. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is also ready to go as well, fresh off injured reserve. He has been practicing with the team since late last week. UPL’s last ten appearances before his injury were stellar, going 7-2-1 with a GAA of 2.41. He also had a strong save percentage of .922 during that same span.
Elsewhere, forward Josh Dunne is ahead of schedule and his return is expected very soon. He should play this week, if not tonight. With Greenway in and out of the lineup, Dunne brings that extra size and grit the Sabres need. He has been a strong 4th line contributor when he has been in there.
Buffalo’s own little devil, Zach Benson, (the Tasmanian variety) is still not ready to go, as coach Lindy Ruff had hoped. In fact, he appears to have an undisclosed, secondary issue hampering him now. (most likely an illness or virus is what is being speculated) The Olympic break was supposed to be enough time for him to heal but he will not play tonight because of this current problem. This new wrinkle compounds his return for at least a few more days, if not longer.
3. Hold Onto Your Hats
This is it folks, it’s do or die for the Sabres. There are 25 games to go with their first playoff berth in nearly 15 years on the line. The Hockey Gods have not made it easy, with an overperforming Eastern Conference either maintaining pace or nipping at their heels nightly. This Buffalo team will need to dig down deep and give it all they have in the home stretch. We have been let down too many times for too many years, often in demoralizing fashion. We are hopeful but not completely trusting yet of this group. It sure FEELS different though, doesn’t it? It sure SEEMS like they have taken that next step. We the fans have embraced the horror for so long, it might be hard to let go. This 2025-26 Buffalo Sabres team is full of optimism though and their performance since early December has been top notch. They have the talent and the drive to win, they just need to cross that finish line now. Perhaps it is finally time to drop the horror genre in our hockey and embrace the adventure instead.
4. Eternally Grateful
On a personal note, I would like to thank the kind and generous folks here who helped me out in a time of need. Your thoughts and prayers were plentiful and very much appreciated. I certainly never expected anything to the extent of a GoFundMe page. A special thank you to Calvin who surprised me by setting all that up and the thoughtful people here who inspired him to do so. I will never forget the kindness and compassion shown to me by my Buffalo Sabres brethren. A million thanks to you all.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Peyton Krebs – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Noah Ostlund – Josh Norris – Josh Doan
Tyson Kozak – Josh Dunne – Beck Malenstyn
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram – Owen Power
Zach Metsa – Michael Kesselring
Goalies
Alex Lyon, Ukko Pekka Luukkonen (projected starter)
New Jersey Devils
Forwards
Evgenii Dadonov – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier – Dawson Mercer – Connor Brown
Arseny Gritsyuk – Cody Glass – Lenni Hameenaho
Paul Cotter – Nick Bjugstad – Maxim Tsyplakov
Defense
Jonas Siegenthaler – Johnathan Kovacevic
Brett Pesce – Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon – Simon Nemec
Goalies
Jake Allen (confirmed starter), Jacob Markstrom