Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will make the start against the NY Rangers on Saturday. Buffalo Sabres – N.Y. Rangers Game Preview
2/8/25 – 5:30 pm EST at Key Bank Center, Buffalo N.Y.
Record
Buffalo – 22-27-5 | 49 points – 8th place in the Atlantic Division
N.Y. Rangers – 27-24-4 | 58 points – 5th place in the Metropolitan Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 16.7% (27th)
Penalty Kill – 78.3% (19th)
N.Y. Rangers
Power Play – 20.6% (20th)
Penalty Kill – 82.2% (6th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 48 GP, 26 G, 22 A, 48 PTS
Alex Tuch: 54 GP, 19 G, 24 A, 43 PTS
Rasmus Dahlin: 46 GP, 7 G, 35 A, 42 PTS
N.Y. Rangers
Artemi Panarin: 53 GP, 23 G, 34 A, 57 PTS
Adam Fox: 55 GP, 4 G, 40 A, 44 PTS
J.T. Miller: 45 GP, 11 G, 28 A, 39 PTS
Starting Goalies
Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (18-16-4, 3.02 GAA, .895 save %)
N.Y. Rangers – Igor Shesterkin (18-19-2, 2.87 GAA, .906 save %)
Line Combinations and Pairings
Forwards
JJ Peterka - Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Alex Tuch
Jordan Greenway - Dylan Cozens - Jack Quinn
Zach Benson – Peyton Krebs - Sam Lafferty
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin - Bowen Byram
Owen Power - Henri Jokiharju
Dennis Gilbert - Connor Clifton
Ex. Mattias Samuelsson - Jacob Bryson
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
James Reimer
Notes
Buffalo’s penalty kill has killed off 11 of its last 12 penalties and the team has gone 16-for-18 (88.9 percent) on the penalty kill in the last eight games. The Sabres have earned at least one point in seven of their last nine games against the Rangers (4-2-3). Five of the last nine matchups between Buffalo and New York have been decided in overtime or a shootout.
Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 22 assists in his last 20 games and he would match the longest assist streak of his career (six games; Oct. 14 to 24, 2023; 0+7) with an assist in today’s game.
Dahlin’s 22 assists in that span are tied with Nikita Kucherov for the second-most among all NHL skaters, trailing only Nathan MacKinnon (23). Dahlin has posted eight points (1+7) in his current five-game point streak. Dahlin would pass Mike Ramsey and gain sole possession of second-place on Buffalo’s all-time list for goals by a defenseman with a goal in tonight’s game.
Alex Tuch has collected eight points (3+5) in his last four games and he is riding a four-game assist streak and a four-game point streak.
In his last five games, Bowen Byram has notched six points (2+4), including at least one in each of his last three contests. An assist tonight would give Byram the longest assist streak of his career (four games).
JJ Peterka has tallied nine points (5+4) in his last eight games.
In his last 19 games, Jason Zucker has recorded 20 points (10+10), including eight points (3+5) in his last seven games.
Tage Thompson has posted 23 points (10+13) in his last 19 games, including 14 points (7+7) in his last 10.
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