Sabres Hope To Continue Their Winning Ways Against The Canadiens

1/31/26 - 7:00pm at Key Bank Center, in Buffalo, NY

Buffalo – 31-17-5 | - 67  points – 3rd place in the Atlantic Division

Montreal  – 30-17-7 | - 67 points – 4th place in the Atlantic Division

Special Teams

Buffalo

Power Play – 19.5% (18th)

Penalty Kill – 83.1% (7th)

Montreal 

Power Play – 23.6% (30th)

Penalty Kill - 77.1% (27th)

Top Scorers

Buffalo

Tage Thompson: 53 GP, 28 G, 27 A, 55 PTS

Alex Tuch: 52 GP, 22 G, 24 A, 46 PTS

Rasmus Dahlin: 49 GP, 11 G, 32 A, 43 PTS

Montreal

Nick Suzuki: 54 GP, 18 G, 44 A, 62 PTS

Lane Hutson: 54 GP, 9 G, 46 A, 55 PTS

Cole Caufield: 54 GP, 30 G, 24 A, 54 PTS

Starting Goalies(projected)

Buffalo – Alex Lyon (13-6-3, 2.62 GAA, .914 Sv %)

Montreal  –  Jakub Dobes (17-5-3, 2.96 GAA, .890 Sv%)

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings (projected)

Forwards

Josh Doan - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch

Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn 

Zach Benson - Noah Ostlund - Konsta Helenius 

Tyson Kozak  - Peyton Krebs - Beck Malenstyn

Ex. Jordan Greenway

Defense

Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin

Bowen Byram - Owen Power

Zach Metsa -. Michael Kesselring

Ex. Zac Jones

Goaltenders

Alex Lyon

Colten Ellis

Injuries

Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve)

Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve) 

Conor Timmins (broken leg, Dec. 20; injured reserve)

Josh Dunne (mid-body, Jan. 14; injured reserve)

Josh Norris (ribs, Jan. 16, week-to-week)

Jacob Bryson (upper-body, Jan 22, week-to-week, injured reserve)

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower-body, Jan 27, day-to-day)

Notes

With a win tonight, Buffalo would have 21 wins in a 25-game span for the first time in franchise history. The Sabres have recorded at least one point in 21 of their last 24 games (20-3-1), including wins in each of their last five games. Their 20 wins and 41 points in that span (since Dec. 9) were the most among all NHL teams entering play on Friday. 

The Sabres have allowed just 2.38 goals per game in that span, the second-fewest among all NHL teams entering play on Friday. This stretch marked the first time Buffalo had recorded 41 or more points in a 24-game span. With a win tonight, the Sabres would have earned 43 points in a 25-game stretch for the first time in franchise history. A win in tonight’s game would mark the first time Buffalo has earned multiple winning streaks of six or more games in the same season since they earned a six-game (Jan. 24 to Feb. 7, 2006), a seven-game (Dec. 4 to 19, 2005) and an eight-game (March 3 to 16, 2006) winning streak in 2005-06. 

On Jan. 29 vs. Los Angeles, Alex Lyon recorded his 10th straight win, eclipsing Gerry Desjardins’ nine-game streak from Dec. 11 to 29, 1976 as the longest by a goaltender in Sabres history. The last NHL goaltender to win 10 or more games in a row was Stuart Skinner (12 games) from Dec. 22, 2023 to Jan. 27, 2024. 

Mattias Samuelsson is riding a career-best five-game point streak and he has recorded eight points (1+7) in that span. Samuelsson would join Rasmus Dahlin (Jan. 12 to 20; 3+4) as the only Sabres defensemen to register a six-game point streak in 2025-26 with a point tonight. 

In his last 11 contests, Jack Quinn has recorded 12 points (5+7), including at least one point in four consecutive contests. Quinn would match the second-longest point streak of his career (March 25 to April 1, 2025; 4+5) with a point tonight. The longest point streak of Quinn’s career came from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, 2022 (six games; 3+4). 

Ryan McLeod has recorded 15 points (4+11) in his last 13 games, including at least one assist in four consecutive games. McLeod would earn the longest assist streak of his career with an assist tonight. With any point tonight, McLeod would match the longest point streak of his career (five games; thrice). 

Alex Tuch has recorded at least one goal in three straight games and he has tallied five goals in that span. With a goal tonight, Tuch would match the longest goal streak of his career (four games; four times). It would mark the second time Tuch has recorded six or more goals during a goal streak of four or more games (Oct. 15 to 22, 2022; six goals). 

Rasmus Dahlin (309 assists) ranks eighth on Buffalo’s all-time assists list and needs two assists to surpass Don Luce (310 assists with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of seventh place. Dahlin has recorded 14 points (7+7) in his last 10 games, including at least one point in three straight games. 

Tage Thompson has recorded 34 points (16+18) in his last 28 games, including 24 points (10+14) in his last 18 games. 

Peyton Krebs has posted five points (2+3) in his last five games. 

Bowen Byram is expected to play in his 300th NHL game tonight. 

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