Game #48 Preview & Open Thread: Sabres vs. Flames

Buffalo Sabres (18-24-5) vs. Calgary Flames (22-16-7)

Puck Drop: 9:00 PM EST | Scotiabank Saddledome | Calgary, AB

TV: MSG

Know Your Opponent

Calgary Flames

Record: 22-16-7 | 51 PTS

Last Game: 3-1 win over Winnipeg (Jan. 18)

Division Ranking: 4th in Pacific

PP: 20.2% (Sabres: 17.8%)

PK: 71.3% (Sabres: 77.1%)

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What to Watch

1. The Rosters

Sabres forward Jason Zucker will miss his second straight game due to illness. On the Flames side, expect Clark Bishop (Wranglers captain) to draw into the lineup, as the Flames recently lost Walker Duehr to waivers. Jonathan Huberdeau leads Calgary with 18 goals and 32 points in 45 games, while Nazem Kadri (15-14–29) is nearing the 30-point marker. Blake Coleman, with 15 assists, leads the team in that category. The Flames have lost two of their last three games but won four of their last six and just wrapped up a four-game road trip.

Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 21 goals and 39 points in 42 games. Rasmus Dahlin’s 28 assists are most on the team. The Sabres are coming off Tuesday’s win in Vancouver, but have lost three of their last five games. Tonight’s game is the third of four on this road trip, which culminates Saturday in Edmonton.

2. Previous Meeting

Earlier this season, the Sabres bested the Flames 3-2 on November 9 in a shootout. Zach Benson and Tage Thompson scored in regulation for Buffalo, while Matthew Coronato and Mikael Backlund tallied for Calgary. JJ Peterka had the lone goal in the shootout.

Last season, the Sabres and Flames split the series, with Calgary taking the first game before Buffalo won 4-1 in the rematch later in the season.

3. Tage’s Point Streak

Tage Thompson has a six-game point streak currently going against Calgary, with five goald and two assists in that stretch. He’s scored in four consecutive games against the Flames. Rasmus Dahlin has six points in his last five games against Calgary, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – tonight’s projected starter – won his last two games against the team, with 56 saves on 59 shots.

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Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

JJ Peterka – Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson
Tyson Kozak – Dylan Cozens – Alex Tuch
Zach Benson – Peyton Krebs – Jack Quinn
Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin – Bowen Byram
Owen Power – Mattias Samuelsson
Connor Clifton – Henri Jokiharju

Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer

Calgary Flames

Forwards

Jonathan Huberdeau – Nazem Kadri – Martin Pospisil
Blake Coleman – Mikael Backlund – Matt Coronato
Rory Kerins – Yegor Sharangovich – Andrei Kuzmenko
Ryan Lomberg – Clark Bishop – Jakob Pelletier

Defense

Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
Mackenzie Weegar – Daniil Miromanov
Jake Bean – Brayden Pachal

Goalies: Dustin Wolf, Dan Vladar