Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – After last taking to the ice for game action on Jan. 27 in San Jose against the Sharks, the Buffalo Sabres return from their bye week and the NHL All-Star break with a severe test on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars.
The last time the Stars were in Buffalo, they registered a 10-4 pasting of the Sabres back on March 9, 2023. Sabres head coach Don Granato says his team will remember that game from last season.
"Yes, absolutely. You don’t play them enough to forget that one, and those are tough nights to forget," said Granato on Monday.
Buffalo won its matchup with the Stars in Dallas last season, 3-2, thanks to an overtime winner from defenseman Owen Power.
The Sabres put in two very good practices coming back from break, and Granato feels that will help in picking the season back up again.
"I think there’s going to be rust for both teams, but having two practices is a big help," he said. "It’s a nice integration, because it’s a long break to not play and not be on the ice for these guys. But two skates is really helpful, in that regard."
Buffalo is 3-7-0 in its last 10 games against the Stars.
The Sabres are now up to 20th in the NHL in average goals-against at 3.14.
Buffalo is 9-6-1 in its last 16 games, and 7-4-0 in its last 11. However, the Sabres remain a really bad home team this season at 11-12-1 overall.
Despite playing much better hockey lately, including being third in NHL team defense since Dec. 30, Buffalo is still 10 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings for the two Eastern Conference Wild Card playoff spots. Toronto has one game in-hand on Buffalo, while the Sabres have one game in-hand on the Red Wings.
Before the break, Buffalo went 2-1-0 on their three-game California road trip, and will try to win three-straight games for the first time all season on Tuesday.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been red-hot in goal for the Sabres lately, and gets the call for Buffalo right out of the break. In his last nine games, Luukkonen has a 6-3-0 record with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. In his last seven games, Luukkonen has a .945 save percentage.
This season, he’s 12-11-2 overall with a 2.61 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
Casey Mittelstadt went into the break as Buffalo’s leading scorer with 42 points in 49 games. He has 20 points in his last 19 games.
Dylan Cozens has points in four-straight games, scoring three goals and four assists for seven points. He has nine points in his last seven games.
JJ Peterka has five goals in five games.
Tage Thompson and Jason Robertson were two stars in the NHL last season, but neither have been able to keep pace this season, especially in goal scoring.
Last year, Thompson had 47 goals and 94 points in 78 games. This season, though, he has 14 goals and 28 points in 39 games.
As for Robertson, he had 46 goals and 109 points last season, but only has 17 goals and 50 points in 49 games this season.
Dallas also hasn’t played since Jan. 27 when they beat the Washington Capitals for their third-straight win. The Stars have points in five-straight games and are 6-1-1 in their last eight.
Dallas is fifth in the NHL with a points percentage of .673. They’re third in goals, averaging 3.69 goals per-game.
Jake Oettinger played in the NHL All-Star Game, and is 16-9-2 this season with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. Oettinger has won his last three games, but gave up 11 goals in the process.
Stars forward Roope Hintz has 22 goals this season, while 39-year-old Joe Pavelski has 19 goals. Hintz has seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 11 games.
Matt Duchene has been red-hot with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 15 games.
Tyler Seguin has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 15 games.
Join Mike Schopp and the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST when you’ll hear from Granato, Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin.
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