Seattle Kraken (17-22-3) at Buffalo Sabres (16-21-5)
Puck Drop: 4:00 PM | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Seattle Kraken
Record: 17-22-3 | 37 PTS
Division Ranking: 7th in Pacific Division
Last Game: 6-2 Win vs Columbus Blue Jackets
PP: 24th (18.2%)
PK: 16th (79.4%)
What to Watch
1. Hope Lies with the Captain
No player has been more important to the Sabres than Rasmus Dahlin. The offense is once again elite as he is second on the team, to Tage Thompson, with a .88 points per game. He’s by far their best defender in both the neutral and defensive zones. He’s the engine behind their powerplay which goes from disappointing to abysmal without him manning the point. Unsurprisingly, Buffalo hasn’t won a game without their captain this year. They are 16-15-3 with him and 0-6-2 without him. His importance cannot be understated. With him in the lineup, the Sabres have a chance to climb out of the conference cellar.
2. West Coast Slump
Seattle is halfway through another disappointing season. They have the same number of points as the Sabres through as many games which puts them firmly out of the Western Conference playoff race. In their division, they are only above the dismal San Jose Sharks. They are currently on a 4-game losing streak and are without a win in 2025. If Buffalo can repeat their performance from the Senators game, they should add to the Kraken’s brutal new year.
3. Rule of Three
The Sabres have a chance to win their third game in a row against the Kraken. This would be their 5th three game win streak of the season. They also have three losing streaks of exactly three games and no win streaks greater than three games. The team tends to find it’s game for a few games before seemingly forgetting shortly after. Hopefully they can continue the winning trend against Seattle to give them a chance for a season long 4 game win streak next week.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Zucker – Cozens – Thompson
Peterka – McLeod – Tuch
Benson – Krebs – Quinn
Aube-Kubel – Kozak – Lafferty
Defense
Dahlin – Byram
Power – Jokiharju
Bryson – Clifton
Starter: Luukkonen
Seattle Kraken
Forwards
Schwartz – Beniers – Kakko
Burakovsky- Stephenson – Bjorkstrand
McCann – Wright – Tolvanen
Kartye – Stephens – Tanev
Defense
Dunn – Larsson
Oleksiak – Montour
Evans – Mahura
Starter: Daccord