Las Vegas, Nev. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch was left at the hotel on Tuesday and did not take part in the team's morning skate. Head coach Lindy Ruff says Tuch is ill and is questionable to play against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Tuch scored in the shootout in Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
If he can’t go, Tyson Kozak will play.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the first goalie off the ice for the Sabres, as it’s his turn to be in net on Tuesday. He is 15-8-2 this season with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
Luukkonen was very good in his last game, but lost to the Washington Capitals, 2-1. The Caps got the game-winner with just 1:33 left in regulation.
Since Dec. 21, Luukkonen has a record of 11-3-1.
The Sabres beat Vegas back in Buffalo, 3-2, a couple of weeks ago, and have taken five of the last six games against the Golden Knights.
Buffalo has been, by far, the best road team in the NHL since Dec. 9. The Sabres are 17-2-1 for a points percentage of .875. The Minnesota Wild would be next at .735.
As far as points go in that span, Buffalo has 35 points, while the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning have 26. The top-four teams by points are all in the Atlantic Division.
The Carolina Hurricanes lead the Eastern Conference with a .682 points percentage, but only have two more points than the Sabres. They are in Columbus on Tuesday to face the Blue Jackets, while the Lightning are at Seattle to take on the Kraken.
Vegas gets Mark Stone back from injury on Tuesday, and they need him. The Golden Knights have won two-straight games, but overall, they’ve lost 6-of-9 games.
The Golden Knights are still in second place in the Pacific Division with a .567 points percentage. The Anaheim Ducks are at .575, while the third-place Edmonton Oilers are at .551. Anaheim has 77 points, Vegas has 76 and Connor McDavid’s crew has 75 points.
The Oilers just found out on Tuesday that forward Leon Draisaitl is out for the remainder of the regular season with an injury.
Aidan Hill will get the call in net for Vegas, as he’s coming off a 21-save shutout of the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s 8-6-3 this season with a 3.05 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage.
As you would expect, Jack Eichel leads the way in scoring for Vegas with 24 goals and 50 assists for 74 points in 59 games.
Join Brian Koziol and myself for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 9 p.m. when you’ll hear from Ruff, Mattias Samuelsson and Zach Metsa.
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