Buffalo Sabres (32-31-5) at Seattle Kraken (28-26-12)
Puck Drop: 10:00 PM | Climate Pledge Arena | Seattle, Washington
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Seattle Kraken
Record: 28-26-12 | 68 PTS
Division Ranking: 6thin Pacific
Last Game: 4-1 Loss vs Predators
PP: 17th (21.3%)
PK: 19th (78.8%)
What to Watch
1. Desperation Season
The Sabres’ playoff hopes were delt a blow with their loss to Detroit on Saturday. Fortunately, the other teams in the Wild Card race have been struggling lately. Buffalo sits just 5 points out of a playoff spot with 14 games left. They’re down but not out. However, they have little room for error. The most disappointing part of the Sabres’ effort on Saturday was the seeming lack of desperation. They cannot afford a repeat of that performance as they begin a tough road trip to the West Coast. They realistically need 6 of 8 possible points to stay in the hunt.
2. Get the First One
Buffalo’s western trip begins with a team they have had no historical success against. Since joining the league 3 years ago, Buffalo has lost all 5 previous matchups while being outscored 26-12. The Sabres will need to change the trend to keep their playoff hopes alive. Seattle has a relatively balanced lineup which makes it tough to find favorable matchups. Buffalo has struggled with consistency this season. They will need contributions throughout their lineup to counteract Seattle’s balanced attack. The law of averages says the Sabres are due for a win against the Kraken and it couldn’t come at a better time.
3. Defensive Assignment
Seattle doesn’t have any notable stars in their lineup. They hoped reigning Caldar Trophy winner Matty Beniers would fill that role, but he hit a sophomore slump this year with only 27 points in 61 games. His linemate Jared McCann is having a good follow up to his breakout 40 goal season last year. McCann leads Seattle in goals and points with 27 and 53 respectively. The Sabres will need to pay special attention to the forward as he can make them pay with one mistake.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Girgensons – Thompson – Tuch
Greenway – Cozens – Benson
Skinner – Krebs – Peterka
Robinson – Jost – Olofsson
Defense
Byram – Dahlin
Power – Jokiharju
Bryson – Clifton
Starter: Luukkonen
Seattle Kraken
Forwards
McCann- Beniers – Eberle
Tolvanen – Gourde – Bjorkstrand
Tanev – Yamamoto– Burakovsky
Tatar – Bellemare – Kartye
Defense
Dumoulin – Larsson
Oleksiak – Borgen
Evans – Schultz
Starter: Daccord