Sharpen Up | Sabres back in black and red Friday vs. Flyers

Everything you need to know in this week’s edition of Sharpen Up.

By Katelyn Kardaman

Sabres.com

October 30, 2023

Did Sunday’s Hockey Halloween celebration leave you feeling evil?

It sure did for Rasmus Dahlin and the Sabres as they defeated the second-best team in the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche, by a score of 4-0 Sunday afternoon at KeyBank Center.

JJ Peterka, Casey Mittelstadt, Tyson Jost, and Rasmus Dahlin scored Buffalo’s goals while the defense and penalty-kill unit went a perfect 6-for-6 on the kill. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recorded his first NHL shutout with 23 saves.

The Sabres’ penalty kill currently ranks sixth in the league through their first nine games.

With the win, Buffalo improved to 4-5-0 on the young season and will look to continue playing to its identity as we enter the month of November.

Keep reading for this week’s top headlines and things to know.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Wednesday, Nov. 1: Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 3: Buffalo vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m. | TICKETS

Saturday, Nov. 4: Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Buffalo opens a home-and-home set with the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center. The Sabres will return home to KeyBank Center on Friday to close out the set before visiting Toronto on Saturday.

BACK IN BLACK AND RED

Haven’t had the chance to see the Sabres in their black-and-red third jerseys? Well, you’re in luck!

The team will be back in its goathead jerseys for the third time this season when Buffalo hosts Philadelphia on Friday.

In their first two appearances in black and red, the Sabres posted a 2-0-0 record and outscored opponents 7-1, improving to 12-1-1 while wearing the jerseys dating back to last season.

Secure your seats for Friday here. Something tells me you won’t want to miss it!

UPL’S BIG WEEK

Luukkonen made his season debut last week against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. He stopped 34 of 38 shots to lead the Sabres to a 6-4 victory over the Senators.

With Eric Comrie and Devon Levi out with lower-body injuries, Luukkonen made his second start Sunday. The 24-year-old made 23 saves on 23 shots to earn his first career NHL shutout in the 4-0 win.

Here’s what he had to say following the game:

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen addresses the media

SABRES STREAKS

The Sabres currently have seven players riding point streaks, including six players with streaks of three or more games.

Check out the streaks to watch out for this week:

Dahlin’s empty-net goal against Colorado extended his point streak to eight games (2+7), becoming the third Sabres defenseman (Phil Housley, John Van Boxmeer) to tally a point in eight or more consecutive games at least once.
Jeff Skinner dished out two assists versus the Avalanche to give himself at least one point in five consecutive games (4+4).
Owen Power and Henri Jokiharju have both recorded one assist in each of their last three games to hold three-game assist and point streaks (0+3).
Tage Thompson has tallied a point in three consecutive games with five points (3+2) in that span.
Alex Tuch recorded an assist on Jost’s goal Sunday to extend his point streak to three games (1+3).
Peterka has scored a goal in consecutive games. According to Sabres PR, it is the third time in his career that he has tallied in consecutive games and first since he last did so from March 27 to 31, 2023.