Buffalo Sabres – Nashville Predators Game Preview
1/31/25 – 7:00 pm EST at KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
Record
Buffalo – 19-26-5 | 43 points – 8th place in the Atlantic Division
Nashville – 18-24-7 | 43 points – 7th place in the Central Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 17.0% (27th)
Penalty Kill – 77.2% (23rd)
Nashville
Power Play – 21.7% (15th)
Penalty Kill – 81.6% (9th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 45 GP, 25 G, 19 A, 44 PTS
JJ Peterka: 48 GP, 14 G, 25 A, 39 PTS
Jason Zucker: 48 GP, 16 G, 20 A, 36 PTS
Nashville
Filip Forsberg: 49 GP, 18 G, 31 A, 49 PTS
Jonathan Marchessault: 49 GP, 15 G, 23 A, 38 PTS
Roman Josi: 45 GP, 9 G, 26 A, 35 PTS
Starting Goalies
Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (16-15-4, 2.97 GAA, .898 save %)
Nashville – Justus Annunen (6-2-0, 2.65 GAA, .914 save %)
Line Combinations and Pairings
Buffalo
Forwards
JJ Peterka - Jiri Kulich - Tage Thompson
Jason Zucker - Dylan Cozens - Alex Tuch
Zach Benson - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs - Sam Lafferty
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin - Bowen Byram
Mattias Samuelsson - Owen Power
Jacob Bryson - Henri Jokiharju
Ex.: Dennis Gilbert, Connor Clifton
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
James Reimer
Injuries
Jordan Greenway (IR - middle body)
Notes
Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 16 assists in his last 16 games. Dahlin is one assist away from tying Mike Ramsey for the second-most assists (256) by a Sabres defenseman all-time and one goal away from tying Ramsey for the second-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history (73). Tonight, Dahlin is expected to move into a tie with Doug Bodger for the 12thmost games played by a Sabres defenseman in franchise history (479).
Tage Thompson has posted 19 points (9+10) in his last 16 games, including eight points (6+2) in his last five.
JJ Peterka has tallied seven points (4+3) in his last four games.
Jiri Kulich has registered five points (2+3) in his last four games.
In his last 15 games, Jason Zucker has recorded 15 points (8+7), including five points (1+4) in his last five games.
Ryan McLeod has collected four points (3+1) in his last four games.
In his last three games, Mattias Samuelsson has posted three points (1+2). A point in tonight’s game would mark the most points Samuelsson has tallied in any four-game span in his career.
Dylan Cozens has posted at least one assist in two consecutive games (0+3). Cozens would match the longest assist streak of his career with an assist in tonight’s game.
Owen Power has recorded one assist in back-to-back games and an assist tonight would give him his fourth assist streak of three or more games this season.
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