Can Buffalo win two in a row for the first time this season?
Game # 8
Dallas Stars (5-1-0) vs. Buffalo Sabres (2-4-1)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM, KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG-B, Victory +
Radio: WGR-550
Know Your Opponent
Dallas Stars
Record: (5-1-0)
Last Game: 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers
Division Ranking: 2nd in the Central Division
PP Ranking: 29th (11.11%)
PK Ranking: 1st (95.24%)
What to Watch
1. Stars Better at Home than on the Road
The Dallas Stars are currently one of the NHL’s best teams, enjoying a 5-1-0 record. However, Dallas won four of those games at home and split its two away matchups. The Stars seem to play better on home ice than they do on the road, giving the Sabres a potential advantage.
The Stars won’t have a friendly audience to cheer them on throughout the night and yell “Stars!” obnoxiously during the U.S. National Anthem, when the singer croons “whose broad stripes and bright stars”. The Blue and Gold need to take advantage of this situation and win some early goals to get the home crowd involved.
2. Buffalo Overdue for a Win Against Dallas
The Buffalo Sabres are almost tied with the Dallas Stars in their overall record, 58-56-17 if you count when the visitors were the Minnesota North Stars. The Sabres haven’t beaten the Stars since Jan. 23, 2022, when Buffalo defeated Dallas 3-2 in OT, deep in the heart of Texas.
The Sabres can pull off that feat at home, but they’ll have to summon the discipline they showed overcoming the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Dallas is a playoff-caliber team that can take advantage of sloppy play and turnovers, something the hosts need to avoid at all costs.
3. Sabres Will Have to Score at Even Strength
While the Sabres showed some power play discipline during their recent 4-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks, controlling the puck and getting more than one or two shots with the man advantage, they once again failed to score with a 5-on-4.
They can pretty much forget about it if they get a power play against the Stars, who lead the NHL in penalty kills as of this writing. Buffalo, by contrast, still hasn’t scored on a power play this season, along with the Anaheim Ducks. If the Sabres do want to get any goals, they’ll probably need to do it even strength.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jiri Kulich – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenway
Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs – Sam Lafferty
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Bowen Byram – Owen Power
Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton
Goaltending
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (confirmed starter), Devon Levi
Dallas Stars
Forwards
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Logan Stankoven
Jamie Benn – Wyatt Johnston – Evgenii Dadonov
Mason Marchment – Matt Duchene – Tyler Seguin
Colin Blackwell – Sam Steel – Mavrik Bourque
Defense
Miro Heiskanen – Matt Dumba
Thomas Harley – Ilya Lyubushkin
Esa Lindell – Nils Lundkvist
Goaltending
Jake Oettinger (confirmed starter), Casey DeSmith