Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In Saturday’s shootout win over the Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bo Byram played a season-high 32:34 of ice-time. Before that game, his season-high was on opening night when he played 24:52.
Byram got more minutes on Saturday, because Dennis Gilbert struggled. That included taking three penalties, as Gilbert only played 10:19 on the afternoon.
Overall, Byram averages 21:54 per-game this season, which is second on the team behind Rasmus Dahlin. Both defensemen got Sunday’s practice off to rest and recover.
Byram says he has a good regiment that keeps him ready to play big minutes at a high level.
"I feel like things I do every summer, just try to stay in shape and get myself in shape, so I’ll be able to play at the highest level and stay conditioned throughout the year," said Byram.
There are some players that can play big minutes, because it seems the more they play, the better they get.
"I think that would be true for most players. The more you’re playing, the more you’re touching the puck, the more you’re involved and the game becomes a little bit easier," Byram said.
In the past, I’ve asked Byram if being a left-handed shot, would he rather play on the left or right side. He’s always said the left side, but recently, he’s played right defense while being paired with Dahlin. It hasn’t been so bad for the 23-year-old.
"I feel more comfortable playing on the right side than I ever have, just from reps and practicing and getting used to to it," Byran said.
"There’s still times where you get pucks and you feel a little exposed when you’re on your backhand, but I’m just continuing to try to work at it and improve at it."
The Montreal Canadiens are in town on Monday, and it’s an early afternoon puck drop. It does throw players out of their routines, but Byram doesn’t mind it.
"It’s actually pretty nice. You don’t got a full day to think about it and get ready. You kind of just get up and go, so I enjoy it," he said. "I like the afternoon games. You know wake up, eat and go to the rink. It’s pretty simple."
The Sabres will try to earn a four-game winning streak for the first time since January of 2023 when they won five in-a-row.
Buffalo opened the season with eight-straight games without a power play goal. Now the Sabres have scored one in six of the last seven games, going 7-of-23. That 30.4% conversion rate is fourth in the NHL over that span.
Overall, though, the power play is now 26th at 15.6%.
We’ve seen improvement in the last three games on the penalty kill, going a perfect 10-for-10. That included a very good kill in the final 1:20 of overtime against the Flames.
Buffalo’s penalty kill is now 18th in the league at 77.6%.
The Sabres have climbed to 13th in goal scoring at 3.27 goals per-game, and 11th in goals-against at 3.07.
That’s thanks to the play of goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Luukkonen has played four-straight games, and eight of the last nine contests. In his last four games, Luukkonen is 3-1-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.
Overall this season, he’s 6-4-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
Tage Thompson is fourth in the NHL with 10 goals. He has goals in three-straight games, and points in 11-out-of-12 games.
JJ Peterka has a three-game points streak, where he has two goals and three assists for five points. He also netted the shootout winner on Saturday.
Dahlin has points in three-straight games and 6-out-of-7. In those seven games, he has two goals and seven assists for nine points.
Montreal has lost six-straight games, going 0-5-1 in that span.
Cayden Primeau gets the call in net, as he’s 1-2-1 this season with a 4.38 goals-against average and an .861 save percentage.
The Canadiens are dead-last in the NHL in goals-against average at 4.07 goals per-game.
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki leads the team with 13 points in 15 games.
Meanwhile, Cole Caufield is tied with Thompson in scoring with 10 goals.
Montreal is last in the NHL with a points percentage of .333.
Join Brian Koziol for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 12 p.m. EST when you’ll hear from Lindy Ruff and Byram.