Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - After a disappointing 1-1-1 road trip, the Buffalo Sabres return home on Tuesday to start eight out of 10 games at home facing the Dallas Stars. Buffalo is 3-7-0 in their last 10 home games against Dallas.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s good game on Saturday in Chicago has earned him his second-straight start in goal, as head coach Lindy Ruff breaks away from his every other game rotation. Luukkonen made many big saves at big times to help the Sabres beat the Blackhawks, 4-2.
Luukkonen is 1-2-1 this season with a 3.26 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage.
Zach Benson will miss Tuesday's game because of the same injury that has been bothering him since the team's trip to Czechia.
"Zach is still not right," said Ruff following Tuesday's morning skate. "He’s been nursing this since Prague, and watching his game. I had a long discussion with him this morning, and I really feel, and now he feels the same way. He’s being affected by what he’s dealing with, and the best thing is we’ve got four days to see if we can get him into a better place."
Jordan Greenway will return to the lineup Tuesday after missing one game due to a lower-body injury.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Aube-Kubel skated for the first time with the team on Tuesday since being injured in Europe. Ruff says he’s shocked he’s back to practice so soon. If he doesn’t play this upcoming weekend, he should play soon after that.
In their last four games, the Sabres have scored 18 goals. However, getting the puck into the back of the net Tuesday will not be easy, as Dallas leads the league with a very stingy 1.50 goals-against average. Buffalo has risen to 18th in the NHL, scoring an average of three goals per-game.
Alex Tuch has two goals and five assists for seven points in his last six games.
Tage Thompson has three goals and two assists for five points in four games, while his left winger, JJ Peterka, has four goals and five points in his last three games.
Ryan McLeod is on a four-game point streak with three goals and four points.
At 2-4-1, the Sabres are 27th in the NHL with a points percentage of .357.
Buffalo is still 0-for-21 on the power play, but Ruff likes what he saw in four attempt vs Chicago,
"We had some great looks, two or three really good shots off the flank. Right now, we can’t buy one, even when we go good, but it’s something that we’re just going to continue to work on," Ruff said.
The penalty kill is only a little bit better, as it’s 27th at 72.7%.
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Dallas has only given up one power play goal all season, and it came in their opener where they went 5-of-6 on the penalty kill against the Nashville Predators. The Stars lead the league at 95.2%.
Dallas is 5-1-0 this season with a points percentage of .833, which is fourth in the NHL.
Dallas is actually under the Sabres in goals-for average, and are 29th on the power play at 11.1%.
Since the 2009-10 season, the Stars are 16-5-2 against the Sabres. They’re 5-0-1 in their last six games.
Jake Oettinger is in goal for the Stars. The All-Star goaltender is 4-0-0 this season with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage.
The Stars' leading scorers are Roope Hintz with three goals and four assists, and Logan Stankoven with no goals and seven assists.
Tune in during "Schopp and the Bulldog" starting at 6 p.m. ET for pregame coverage on WGR when you’ll hear from Ruff, McLeod and Beck Malenstyn.