Buffalo Sabres - Chicago Blackhawks Game Preview
4/13/26 - 8:30 pm at United Center, in Chicago, IL
Buffalo – 49-23-8 | - 106 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division
Chicago – 28-38-14 | - 70 points – 8th place in the Central Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play – 19.9% (18th)
Penalty Kill – 81.7% (6th)
Chicago
Power Play – 17.5% (28th)
Penalty Kill - 83.6% (2nd)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Tage Thompson: 80 GP, 38 G, 41 A, 79 PTS
Rasmus Dahlin: 76 GP, 19 G, 53 A, 72 PTS
Alex Tuch: 77 GP, 31 G, 32 A, 63 PTS
Chicago
Connor Bedard: 67 GP, 30 G, 43 A, 73 PTS
Tyler Bertuzzi: 77 GP, 32 G, 25 A, 57 PTS
Frank Nazar: 64 GP, 15 G, 26 A, 41 PTS
Starting Goalies(projected)
Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (21-9-3, 2.56 GAA, .909 Sv %)
Chicago – Spencer Knight (18-24-11, 2.80 GAA, .904 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
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
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
A win tonight would give Buffalo its 50th win of 2025-26, which would mark the third time in franchise history that the team has earned 50 or more wins in a single season (2005-06, 52; 2006-07, 53).
A regulation win by Buffalo tonight, combined with either a Tampa Bay
loss of any kind or an overtime or shootout victory by the Lightning, would clinch the Atlantic Division for the Sabres.
A win of any kind by Buffalo and a Tampa Bay loss of any kind also clinches the Atlantic Division for the Sabres. A Sabres of any kind tonight would clinch home ice advantage for Buffalo in the first round.
The Sabres are riding a three-game winning streak and a win tonight would give them their fifth winning streak of four or more games this season. On April 4, Buffalo clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11.
Rasmus Dahlin has 330 assists in his career and he would surpass Rene Robert and gain sole possession of fifth place all-time on Buffalo’s assist list with an assist tonight.
Josh Norris has registered seven points (1+6) in his last six games, including a point in four straight contests (1+4).
Ryan McLeod has registered three points (1+2) and a plus-5 rating in his last three games.
Zach Benson is two points away from 100 in his NHL career. Benson is riding a three-game point streak (2+2) and he would match his longest point streak of the season (four games, twice) with a point in tonight’s game.
Josh Doan has collected four points (2+2) in his last three games, including at least one point in each game in that span.
Beck Malenstyn is six hits from surpassing Marcus Foligno (279 hits in 2016-17) for the most hits by a Sabre since the league began tracking hits in 2005-06.
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