Buffalo Sabres – Tampa Bay Lightning Game Preview
4/13/25 – 6:00pm EST at Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Record
Buffalo – 35-37-7 | 77 points – 7th place in the Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay – 45-26-4 | 98 points – 2nd place in the Atlantic Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 18.8% (23rd)
Penalty Kill – 76.6% (23rd)
Tampa Bay
Power Play – 26.1% (5th)
Penalty Kill – 81.4% (8th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 73 GP, 44 G, 27 A, 71 PTS
Rasmus Dahlin: 70 GP, 17 G, 49 A, 66 PTS
JJ Peterka: 74 GP, 26 G, 39 A, 65 PTS
Tampa Bay
Nikita Kucherov: 75 GP, 34 G, 82 A, 116 PTS
Brandon Hagel: 79 GP, 35 G, 52 A, 87 PTS
Brayden Point: 74 GP, 41 G, 38 A, 79 PTS
Starting Goalies
Buffalo – James Reimer (9-7-2, 2.62 GAA, .911 save %)
Tampa Bay – Andrei Vasilevsky (37-20-5, 2.18 GAA, .921 save %)
Other Sabres Stories
Sabres Ownership Ranked Worst In NHL By Survey In The Athletic
Is Peterka In Prime Position For Big Payday?
Dahlin Refutes Assertion Of Wanting Out Of Buffalo
Line Combinations and Pairings
Forwards
Zach Benson - Jiri Kulich - Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker– Peyton Krebs - Alex Tuch
Beck Malenstyn – Noah Ostlund – Sam Lafferty
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Jacob Bryson - Jacob Bernard-Docker
Bowen Byram - Connor Clifton
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
James Reimer
Injuries
Josh Norris (day-to-day – mid-body)
Jordan Greenway (day-to-day – unknown)
Tyson Kozak (week-to-week – mid-body)
Owen Power (lower-body)
Notes
The Sabres have earned at least one point in nine of their last 11 games (8- 2-1). Lindy Ruff is one win away from becoming just the fifth coach in NHL history to reach 900 regular-season wins in their career.
In his last 19 games, Ryan McLeod has posted 19 points (5+14).
JJ Peterka has tallied 33 points (16+17) in his last 30 games and he has registered 10 points (4+6) in his last eight games. Peterka has recorded at least one point in four straight games (3+2) and a point tonight would give him his fourth point streak of five or more games in his career. Peterka is riding a three-game goal streak and he would match the longest goal streak of his career (March 21 to 29, 2024; four games) with a goal tonight.
Rasmus Dahlin has posted 14 points (5+9) in his last 11 games, including seven points (3+4) in his last five contests.
Dahlin has recorded one goal and one assist in back-to-back games and if he does so tonight he will become the third Sabres defenseman, and the first since Phil Housley from Feb. 19 to 24, 1989 (three games; 3+5), to do so in three consecutive games. Housley (thrice), John Van Boxmeer (Jan. 24 to 28, 1981; 3+3) and Jerry Korab (Nov. 29 to Dec. 4, 1975; 3+3) are the only other Sabres defensemen who have done so.
Tage Thompson has posted 46 points (28+18) in his last 44 games, including 11 points (10+1) in his last 10 games.
Alex Tuch has registered 13 points (7+6) in his last nine games. Tuch ranks first among NHL forwards in blocked shots (108) and second among forwards in takeaways (45) this season.
Jack Quinn has tallied 10 points (4+6) in his last 10 games.
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