Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – If the Buffalo Sabres want to have any chance to get into the playoff race, they’re going to have to finish this week doing something they haven’t done all season: Win four games in-a-row.
The Sabres started that off Saturday afternoon by beating the Edmonton Oilers. Now the Detroit Red Wings are in town on Tuesday, followed by the New York Islanders on Thursday.
Buffalo then heads to Detroit on Saturday.
These are the teams the Sabres are chasing, and they have to not only win, but preferably win in regulation.
The Sabres have pulled to within seven of the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card position, currently held by the Red Wings. The Islanders are also seven points ahead of Buffalo in the playoff race.
Buffalo also trails the Washington Capitals by four points, and the New Jersey Devils by one in the East.
The Sabres have only won 1-out-of-4 games, but they have won 7-of-11. They have also won three of their last four home games.
The Sabres have only played the Wings once this season. They fell behind 4-0 in the second period, but charged back to make it 4-3 before Dylan Larkin scored the empty netter to seal a win on Dec. 5.
Sabres head coach Don Granato says there’s really not much he can pull from that game, because Pat Kane wasn’t playing, and Larkin was in the lineup still for the Red Wings. Plus, the Sabres are totally different with seven players that played in that game not in the lineup for them now.
In his last 23 games, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has only given up more than three goals once for the Sabres. Overall this season, the Buffalo netminder is 20-16-3 with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
In his two games with the Sabres, defenseman Bo Byram has played 24:58 and 25:46 of ice-time, picking up a goal and an assist.
Buffalo is 10-2-5 in its last 17 games against Detroit.
With Casey Mittelstadt gone, Rasmus Dahlin is now Buffalo’s leading scorer with 47 points in 64 games.
Jordan Greenway will return to the lineup on Tuesday after missing one game due to injury.
Larkin has been out a week with a lower-body injury, and should miss, at least, another week. He’s missed three games for Detroit, and the Red Wings are on a five-game losing streak.
Before this, Detroit had won six games in-a-row.
This is the last game of the Red Wings' four-game road trip that took them to Colorado, Arizona and Vegas.
Larkin is still tied with Alex DeBrincat as Detroit’s leading scorer with 54 points. Larkin has 26 goals, while DeBrincat has 23.
Alex Lyon didn’t play in goal for the Red Wings' matchup with Vegas, but he has played in 25-out-of-29 games. Lyon is 18-12-2 this season with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
Pat Kane has played 33 games with his new team and has 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points. Kane has no points in his last four games.
Tune in during "Schopp and the Bulldog" for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. ET when you’ll hear from Granato, Byram and Tage Thompson.
Losi & Gangi
