Game Day: Preds at Sabres Preview

The Nashville Predators (34-26-8) will face off against the Buffalo Sabres (33-30-6) on Tuesday at KeyBank Center.
The puck drops at 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio. Here's everything you need to know:

Line 'Em Up

Below are Nashville's lines from Sunday at NY Rangers:
Tomasino - Glass - Duchene
Sherwood - Novak - Evangelista
Trenin - Sissons - Smith
Afanasyev - Jankowski - McCarron
Barrie - Fabbro
Lauzon - Gross
Gravel - Foote
Lankinen

Last Time Out

Nashville was shut out for the fifth time this season and moved to 17-14-4 on the road in 2022-23 with Sunday's loss to the Rangers. The Predators closed out their two-game, regular-season series against the Rangers with a 1-1-0 record.

All-Time Meetings

The Predators are 17-12-(1)-2 all-time against the Sabres, including an 11-3-(1)-0 record on the road. This is the second and final matchup between Nashville and Buffalo in 2022-23 and the first and only at KeyBank Center.
Nashville is 0-1-0 against Buffalo this season, dropping a 5-3 decision at Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 14.

Notables vs. Buffalo

• Ryan Johansen is on a personal 15-game point streak vs. Buffalo in which he's tallied 18 points (5g-13a). He's recorded a point in 17 of his 20 career games against the Sabres (5g-16a).
• Matt Duchene has 10 points (3g-7a) in his last 11 games vs. Buffalo, including a three-point effort (3a) on Feb. 15, 2018.
• Juuse Saros made his NHL debut on Nov. 28, 2015 vs. Buffalo.
• Colton Sissons scored his first career NHL goal on March 27, 2014 vs. Buffalo (Matt Hackett).
• Jeremy Lauzon scored his first goal with the Predators on April 1, 2022 at Buffalo (Craig Anderson).
• Mark Jankowski played in 19 games for the Sabres in 2021-22, tallying five points (2g-3a).
• Rasmus Asplund was acquired from Buffalo for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on March 3. Buffalo's second-round pick (33rd overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Asplund had 49 points (18g-31a) in 164 games for the Sabres from 2019-23.
• Predators Assistant GM, Director of Player Development and Milwaukee Admirals GM Scott Nichol began his NHL career with Buffalo, skating in five games for the Sabres from 1995-97.
• Predators Assistant Coach Dan Lambert spent one season in the same role for the Sabres in 2015-16.

The Good Guys

• Roman Josi owns the Predators team lead in points with 57 (18g-39a). He has 53 points (17g-36a) in his last 57 games after scoring on Thursday vs. Chicago. Since Oct. 27, Josi leads NHL blueliners in goals (18); he is tied for third in points (58) and ninth in assists (40).
• Tommy Novak has 30 points (13g-17a) in 37 games with Nashville since being recalled from Milwaukee (AHL) on Dec. 19. In a 15-game span since Feb. 18, Novak has posted 19 points (9g-10a) - tied for the 10th-most among NHL skaters - including five multi-point efforts.
• Duchene has 30 points (13g-17a) in his last 40 games, including two consecutive three-point efforts on Feb. 23 at San Jose (3a) and Feb. 26 at Arizona (1g-2a). He's recorded points in 10 of his last 23 games (8g-9a), tallying multiple points in five of those outings.
• Luke Evangelista has five points (3g-2a) in his first 10 career NHL games. He scored his first two career NHL goals on March 6 at Vancouver.
• Kiefer Sherwood has points in four of his last nine games (2g-3a).
• Sissons tallied an assist last Tuesday vs. Detroit to give him 14 points (5g-9a) in his last 27 outings. Sitting at 27 points (11g-16a), he is three from matching his career high of 30, set in 2018-19 (15g-15a).
• Since making his season debut on Feb. 13 vs. Arizona, Philip Tomasino has recorded 11 points (3g-8a) in 17 games. He has five points (1g-4a) in his last five games.

The Other Guys

The Sabres have dropped three in a row, including a 7-0 shutout loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday. They are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games, surrendering five or more goals in six of those contests.
Tage Thompson leads Buffalo in points with 87 (42g-45a), and his 42 goals are also a team high. Rasmus Dahlin has dished out a team-high 49 assists. Jack Quinn ranks in the Top 10 among all NHL rookies in points (31), goals (13) and assists (18).

Watch & Listen

Coverage for Saturday's game begins at 5:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on Bally Sports South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and analyst Chris Mason will have the call on the television side.
Pete Weber and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM.