Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Coyotes

TEMPE, Ariz. – Dylan Cozens was already thinking about the next challenge inside the visiting dressing room at T-Mobile Arena on Friday night.

The Sabres erased a third-period deficit and defeated the NHL-leading Vegas Golden Knights 5-2, fueled in part by a three-point performance from Cozens.  The next step, the 22-year-old forward said, is to carry that momentum and string together wins.

“We talked about it before, we need to find that consistency in our game,” Cozens said. “I think this is a good start. We’ve got a big one tomorrow.”

The Sabres have a chance to win on back-to-back nights and take four out of six points on their Western Conference road trip when they visit the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Saturday.

It will be the second game in less than a week between the Sabres and Coyotes, who previously met in Buffalo on Monday. The Sabres won that game 5-2.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+  begins at 8:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 9. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know.

1. The lineup

Devon Levi made 33 saves for the win in Vegas on Friday, which would typically line up either Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Eric Comrie to start the second game of the back-to-back set.

Sabres coach Don Granato is scheduled to hold his pregame session with the media around 7:30 p.m. EST.

2. About last night

Cozens scored to put the Sabres on the board first, but the Golden Knights responded to take a 2-1 lead on Jack Eichel’s goal scored 3:22 into the third period. The Sabres answered with four consecutive goals, including the winner from 18-year-old rookie Zach Benson.

With the win, the Sabres have earned road victories over the NHL’s top three teams – Vegas, Boston, and the New York Rangers – in the span of less than a month. The Golden Knights had lost at home in regulation just twice all season prior to Friday.

Read more about the victory in Friday's postgame report.

3. Benson’s streak

Benson previously scored Buffalo’s lone goal in a loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. He became the youngest Sabres player to score goals in consecutive games since Pierre Turgeon in 1988.

A goal tonight would make Benson the youngest player in Sabres history to score in three straight games.

4. The season series

The Sabres defeated the Coyotes 5-2 on Monday on the strength of the forward line of Eric Robinson, Peyton Krebs, and Kyle Okposo. Robinson (2+1) and Okposo (1+2) both had three-point nights while Krebs scored a goal and had a plus-4 rating.

Buffalo outshot Arizona 38-23 in the win.

5. Scouting the Coyotes

The Coyotes completed their road trip with a 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Tuesday but returned home to earn a 1-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Connor Ingram made 21 saves for the shutout and Matias Maccelli scored the game’s only goal.

Maccelli enters Saturday on a five-game point streak, with two goal and three assists in that span.