Getting to know: buffalo sabres
That’s right, sports fans! The ever popular “Getting to know the opponent” feature has moved from it’s original home on Tiktok and landed here, on the brand new TwoLinePass.com website! For those of you who don’t know, this is a segment where we’ll detail upcoming opponents, their team, a bit of their history, and what you need to look for in the upcoming tilt. We know some of you are new to the NHL, so let’s get to know this league and this team together.
Tonight’s opponent: The Buffalo Sabres (7:00 PM MST scheduled puck drop, THE Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah)
Quick history: Established as an NHL franchise in 1970 alongside the (evil) Vancouver Canucks when the league expanded to 14 teams. The Sabres have 0 Stanley Cup wins to their name, but they have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in their history; losing in 1975 to the Flyers and again in 1999 to the Dallas Stars.
This year: The Sabres currently sit in last place in the Eastern Conference, with a 27-33-6 record and 60 total points on the season. While wins have been hard to come by for Buffalo, goals have not been; the Sabres rank 7th in the Eastern Conference with 209 goals scored. The struggles, though, have come from the defensive side of the red line, giving up 232 goals against. Utah will need to be on their A game defensively if they don’t want this one turning into a shootout.
Who to know: The Sabres are lead in goals and points by Tage Thompson (34 & 59), assists by Rasmus Dahlin (40). Thompson is a top line center who will be paired with JJ Peterka (19G 32A) and Alex Tuch (26G 24A) as his wingers. Dahlin is a top line defenseman who will be skating with Mattias Samuelsson (3G 6A) along side him. Jason Zucker (19G 26A) and Ryan McLeod (15G 22A) are some more names to keep an eye on tonight.
How they’ll skate:
Peterka -Thompson -Tuch
Murray - McLeod - Zucker
Greenway -Krebs - Quinn
Malenstyn -Kozak -Lafferty
Samuelsson -Dahlin
Byram -Bryson
Power - Clifton
In net: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a 2017 draft pick with a 23-21-4 record on the season. He brings to the ice a 3.16 GAA and a .888 Save %. While this is his lowest save percentage since becoming the top line goalie in Buffalo, he is capable in net and has the abilities to turn in great performances (91% save percentage and 5 shutouts last season).
-Dustin N.
