(WGR 550) – The good news is the Buffalo Sabres are coming off a big 9-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. In addition, the last time they were at Madison Square Garden, they beat the New York Rangers, 5-1.
The bad news is this team has only won two-straight games once this whole season.
The Sabres do have the advantage on the Rangers, who had to play Friday and lost to the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3. New York has won four-of-six games and are No. 1 in the NHL with a points percentage of .726.
Buffalo has beaten the No. 1 team in the NHL three times this season, and all three games were on the road.
The big win over the Leafs didn’t help in the standings, as the Sabres are still seven points out of seventh and eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They’re also seven points behind the Florida Panthers for third pace in the Atlantic Division.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had his own net in Friday’s practice, so he’ll likely get the start on Saturday. He had 25 saves in that win over the Rangers on Nov. 27.
However, since coming back from illness, he’s only had one good game out of three appearances, going 0-3-0 with a 4.83 goals-against average and an .821 save percentage.
Overall this season, the 24-year-old is 6-8-1 with a 3.17 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage.
The Sabres are 4-3-1 in their last eight games.
Buffalo was able to beat the Rangers in late November because they played with pace and were direct, which is what head coach Don Granato preaches. They had a 1-0 lead after one period and a 2-0 lead after two. They were never chasing the game.
Alex Tuch is coming off a four-assist game against Toronto, giving him seven points in four games, and nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 21 games.
Connor Clifton has seven assists in his last eight games.
Tage Thompson has three goals and four assists for seven points in nine games.
Jeff Skinner has four goals and three assists for seven points in six games.
Rasmus Dahlin has four goals and four assists for eight points in eight games. Dahlin has jumped to eighth in NHL scoring for defensemen with 28 points.
Zach Benson has two goals and four assists for six points in five games. With his 13 points, Benson is now 13th in NHL rookie scoring.
The Sabres do have two power play goals in their last two games, going 2-for-8.
Buffalo is 26th in the NHL with a points percentage of .456.
The Rangers have been red-hot on the power play, scoring in six-straight games and nine out of 10. In those 10 games, they’ve gone 12-of-34, which is 35.3%. You may have guessed that the Rangers lead the NHL with the extra man, and are also fifth on the penalty kill.
Jonathan Quick played against the Oilers on Friday, so the Sabres will likely get Igor Shesterkin. He’s 12-7-0 this season with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
Shesterkin has won his last two starts, giving up just three goals. Before that, though, he lost three in-a-row, giving up 15 goals.
Artemi Panarin is fifth in NHL scoring with 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points in 31 games.
Join Brian Koziol and myself for pregame coverage at 6:30 p.m. EST on our sister station, WBEN News Radio 930. There you’ll hear from Granato, Mattias Samuelsson and Erik Johnson.
Losi & Gangi
