
Buffalo Sabres - Dallas Stars Game Preview
4/15/26 - 7:00 pm at KeyBank Center, in Buffalo, NY
Buffalo – 50-23-8 | - 108 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division
Dallas – 49-20-12 | - 110 points – 2nd place in the Central Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 19.8% (18th)
Penalty Kill – 82.1% (4th)
Dallas
Power Play – 28.6% (2nd)
Penalty Kill - 80.1% (12th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 81 GP, 40 G, 41 A, 81 PTS
Rasmus Dahlin: 77 GP, 19 G, 55 A, 74 PTS
Alex Tuch: 78 GP, 32 G, 33 A, 65 PTS
Dallas
Jason Robertson: 81 GP, 45 G, 51 A, 96 PTS
Wyatt Johnston: 81 GP, 45 G, 41 A, 86 PTS
Mikko Rantanen: 63 GP, 22 G, 55 A, 77 PTS
Starting Goalies(projected)
Buffalo – Colten Ellis (8-4-1, 2.91 GAA, .904 Sv %)
Dallas – Jake Oettinger (34-12-6, 2.59 GAA, .900 Sv %)
Other Sabres Stories
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings (projected)
Forwards
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Zach Benson - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Tanner Pearson - Tyson Kozak - Beck Malenstyn
Ex., Josh Dunne, Jordan Greenway
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power - Bowen Byram
Conor Timmins - Michael Kesselring
Ex. Luke Schenn, Logan Stanley, Zach Metsa
Goaltenders
Colten Ellis
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Injuries
Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve)
Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season)
Sam Carrick (upper body, Mar. 31; injured reserve)
Noah Ostlund (upper body, Mar. 25; day-to-day)
Alex Lyon (lower body, Apr. 8, day-to-day)
Notes
On April 13 at Chicago, Buffalo clinched the Atlantic Division title, marking the team’s first division title since 2009-10 (Northeast Division). It marked the first time the Sabres had won the Atlantic Division (realigned in 2013-14). Buffalo will play Boston in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A win tonight would give Buffalo its 51st win of 2025-26, which would mark the third time in franchise history that the team has earned more than 50 wins in a single season (2005-06, 52; 2006-07, 53).
The Sabres are riding a four-game winning streak and a win tonight would give them their fourth winning streak of five or more games this season. On April 4, Buffalo clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. The Sabres have earned at least one point in 27 of their last 33 contests (24-6-3), including a league-best 18 wins and 38 points since the Olympic break entering play on Tuesday. Since Dec. 9 and entering play on Tuesday, the Sabres ranked first among all NHL teams in wins (39) and points (82). Buffalo’s 34 regulation wins in that span also led the league entering play on Tuesday. Ottawa’s 28 regulation wins ranked second.
Tage Thompson has tallied 58 points (27+31) in 52 games since Dec. 9 and his 24 even-strength goals in that span ranked fifth among all NHL skaters entering play on Tuesday. Thompson’s 213 goals scored as a member of the Sabres place him in 12th place on Buffalo’s all-time list, three goals behind Don Luce (216 goals) for 11th. Thompson needs five more goals to pass Jason Pominville (217 goals with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of 10th place on Buffalo’s all-time goal-scoring list. He has posted three points (2+1) in his last three games.
Rasmus Dahlin ranks first among all Sabres skaters in assists (55) and second in points (74) this season. His 12 even-strength goals since Dec. 9 ranked first among all NHL defensemen entering play on Tuesday. Dahlin has 332 assists in his career and he surpassed Rene Robert (330) and gained sole possession of fifth place all-time on Buffalo’s assist list with two assists on April 13 at Chicago. Dahlin is riding a five-game point streak (2+5) and a point tonight would mark his third point streak of at least six games this season. Dahlin’s 74 points this season rank third all-time in a single season for a Sabres defenseman. Phil Housley (81 points in 1989-90, 77 points in 1983-84) is the only defenseman that has recorded more points in a single season in franchise history.
Josh Norris has registered eight points (2+6) in his last seven games, including a point in five straight contests (2+4). Norris would match his longest point streak of the season (six games; Dec. 1 to 18; 3+6) with a point tonight.
Jason Zucker has posted at least one point in four straight contests and he has recorded six points (2+4) in that span. Zucker would earn his longest point streak of the season with a point tonight.
Ryan McLeod is riding a five-game point streak (2+4) and a point tonight would give him the longest point streak of his career.
Zach Benson is riding a four-game point streak (2+3) and he would earn the longest point streak of his career with a point tonight. Benson is one point away from 100 in his NHL career.
Josh Doan has collected five points (2+3) in his last four games, including at least one point in each game in that span. Doan would match the longest point streak of his career (five games; Dec. 31, 2025 to Jan. 10, 2026; 4+2) with a point tonight.
Beck Malenstyn (276 hits) is four hits away from surpassing Marcus Foligno (279 hits in 2016-17) for the most hits by a Sabres skater in a single season since the league began tracking the stat in 2005-06.
Alex Tuch has recorded five points (2+3) in his last five games. Tuch needs one goal to reach 200 in his NHL career.
Logan Stanley has recorded at least one assist in back-to-back games (0+3). He would match the longest assist streak of his career (three games; Dec. 28 to 31, 2024; 0+3) with an assist tonight.
Dating back to Jan. 19, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has appeared in 17 games and he has made 408 saves on 444 shots (.919) in that span.
In that span, Colten Ellis has played in four games and posted a .920 save percentage (104 saves on 113 shots).
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo
THN.com/Free

