(WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres play their final game before the All-Star break on Tuesday in Vegas against the Golden Knights.
Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund will return to the lineup, while Casey Mittelstadt is out. Head coach Don Granato said Mittelstadt is going to meet with the surgeon that did his surgery to see why he’s getting pain from playing.
Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs will be making their returns to Vegas for the first time since they were traded to Buffalo for Jack Eichel. Cody Eakin also played 199 games with Vegas after being claimed in the Expansion Draft from the Dallas Stars.
Tuch spent four seasons with the Golden Knights after he was traded to Vegas by the Minnesota Wild. Tuch played 249 of his 267 NHL games with Vegas, scoring 61 goals and 78 assists for 139 points. Tuch also had 19 goals in 66 playoff games.
Krebs was the 17th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft and played 13 games with the Golden Knights until general manager Kevyn Adams insisted he be part of the Eichel deal.
Tuch, by the way, was the 18th overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Wild.
Granato knows Tuch and Krebs will be excited to play once again in Vegas. However, he just doesn’t want them to be too excited.
“That’s the trick to just immerse in our game as a team, and I think our team is in a good place for that to support them in that initiative," Granato said following Tuesday's morning skate. "I’m excited for all three of them, and hopefully it’s a special night for all of those guys.”
Nicolas Roy was a teammate of Tuch’s in Vegas. He said playing against him will be tough.
“It’s going to be weird, for sure," he said of Tuch. "He’s been such a big part of this organization from the start, so we know he’s going to be buzzing out there and he’s a really good player. We’ve got to be careful out there.”
Buffalo played a good game in Denver on Sunday night against the Colorado Avalanche, but they just couldn’t keep up with the NHL’s best team.
Craig Anderson will be back in goal for the Sabres. He’s 5-2-0 this season with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.
Vegas leads the Pacific Division with a points percentage of .611. The Calgary Flames would be next at .600. They’re coming off a four-game road trip where they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals, but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime and Florida Panthers in regulation.
Since coming back from injury, former Sabres goalie Robin Lehner has played in eight out of nine games. He’s won four of those eight games. So far this season, Lehner is 18-12-1 with a 2.79 goals-against and a .909 save percentage.
Chandler Stephenson leads the Golden Knights in scoring with 38 points in 43 games. Their leading goal scorer is Jonathan Marchessault with 19 goals in 40 games. However, he has just one goal in his last eight games.
The Golden Knights have some injuries on defense, as Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud are out injured. Meanwhile, Nic Hague is a game-time decision for Tuesday's matchup.
Vegas is 4-2-0 all-time against the Sabres, while Buffalo is 2-2-2.
Join Brian Koziol and myself for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 9 p.m. ETS when we’ll have more from Granato.
