Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Game Preview
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Game Preview
12/11/24 at 7:00 pm at Key Bank Center in Buffalo, NY
Record
Buffalo – 11-13-4 | 26 points – 7th place in the Atlantic Division
NY Rangers – 14-12-1 | 29 points – 5th place in the Metropolitan Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 14.5% (30th)
Penalty Kill – 80.9% (12th)
NY Rangers
Power Play – 22.5% (12th)
Penalty Kill - 85.9% (2nd)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Alex Tuch: 28 GP, 8 G, 16 A, 24 PTS
Tage Thompson: 23 GP, 15 G, 7 A, 22 PTS
Jason Zucker: 28 GP, 7 G, 13 A, 20 PTS
NY Rangers
Artemi Panarin: 27 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 PTS
Will Cuylle: 27 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 PTS
Adam Fox: 27 GP, 0 G, 22 A, 22 PTS
Starting Goalies
Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (8-7-3, 2.82 GAA, .902 save %)
NY Rangers – Igor Shesterkin (9-10-1, 2.95 GAA, .910 save %)
Line Combinations and Pairings
Buffalo
Forwards
Peyton Krebs – Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Zach Benson - Ryan McLeod - Jason Zucker
JJ Peterka - Jiri Kulich - Dylan Cozens
Beck Malenstyn - Tyson Kozak - Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Ex. Jack Quinn
Defense
Jacob Bryson - Bowen Byram
Owen Power - Henri Jokiharju
Mattias Samuelsson - Connor Clifton
Ex. Dennis Gilbert, Ryan Johnson
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
James Reimer
Injuries
Rasmus Dahlin (day-to-day - back spasms)
Sam Lafferty (day-to-day - lower body)
Notes
The Sabres have earned at least one point in seven of their last eight games against the Rangers (4-1-3), including at least one point in each of the last three contests between Buffalo and New York (2-0-1). Buffalo has allowed just three power-play goals in the team’s last 31 penalty-kill opportunities (90.3 percent).
Jason Zucker has registered six points (2+4) in his last four games, including one assist in each of the games in that span.
Tage Thompson has registered 16 points (11+5) in his last 14 home games.
Owen Power has recorded one assist in back-to-back games.
Beck Malenstyn has tallied one assist in two consecutive games and an assist tonight would give him the longest assist streak of his career.
Zach Benson (1+4) and Dylan Cozens (2+3) have both recorded five points in their last five home games.
JJ Peterka’s next point will be the 100th of his NHL career.
Jason Zucker has recorded 20 points (7+13) and he is on pace for 58 points this season. If Zucker records 55 or more points this season, he would become the Sabres’ first free agent acquisition to do so since Randy Burridge in 1995-96 (58 points; 25+33).
Zucker is on pace to score 21 goals this season and he would become Buffalo’s first free-agent acquisition to record 20 or more goals in a season since Kyle Okposo in 2021-22 (21 goals). Zucker leads all Sabres skaters in primary assists at 5-on-5 (8), three more than the next-closest Buffalo skater (Bowen Byram, Owen Power). He also ranks first among all Buffalo skaters in primary assists at all strengths (11).
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