Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Lightning

Forwards Jeff Skinner and Dylan Cozens and defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Erik Johnson have not been ruled out for the Buffalo Sabres’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Coach Don Granato said the status of each player will be determined in the morning, ahead of the afternoon matchup with the Lightning.

“The decisions will be made in the morning on the lineup because we have three or four guys who are right on that cusp,” Granato said.

All four players are considered day to day with upper-body injuries while defenseman Henri Jokiharju is dealing with soreness after blocking a shot in Buffalo’s 3-0 win over Chicago on Thursday.

Skinner and Samuelsson both returned to practice on Friday for the first time since sustaining their injuries. Skinner has missed the last four games for the Sabres while Samuelsson has missed two games since taking an elbow to the head from Vancouver defenseman Filip Hronek last Saturday.

Cozens sustained his upper-body injury during Buffalo’s game against San Jose on Monday and did not play Chicago on Thursday. Johnson was injured on a hit into the end boards by Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev, who was assessed a five-minute boarding major.

Granato said the group is “going in the right direction” as the team looks to return to full health.

The Sabres close out their six-game homestand against the Lightning after winning three of the first five contests. Buffalo will host its annual Kids Takeover Day on Saturday at KeyBank Center, with the first 5,000 kids in attendance receiving a youth-sized Sabres bucket hat.

Tickets are available here. 

The pregame show begins at 12 p.m. on MSG/MSG+ before the puck drops at 12:30. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know.

1. Luukkonen's shutout streak

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recorded his second consecutive shutout on Thursday to lead the Sabres in their 3-0 victory over the Blackhawks, extending his shutout streak to 157:55 dating back to the second period of a 1-0 loss to Vancouver last Saturday.

The 24-year-old is 4-1-0 since the start of the new year, posting a .964 save percentage and 1.01 goals-against average after stopping 134 of 139 shots to open 2024.  

Granato credited Luukkonen's growth to the work he has put in throughout his young career. 

“He’s very adamant about making himself better,” Granato said after the game against Chicago. “He’s using every experience that he’s been given, every opportunity he’s had over the last year to become better. He’ll be here early in the morning with Mike Bales, our goalie coach, wanting more clips. He’ll go on the ice early tomorrow wanting more drills and he’ll ask players to shoot on him more.

“… So, he’s doing the right things to make himself better. I just think we’re seeing the accumulation of him doing the right things over a longer period of time now.”

2. On the PK

The Sabres’ penalty kill has also had success in the new year. Since Jan. 1, 2024, Buffalo has gone 19-for-21 (90.5%) on the kill, which ranks second in the league behind only Edmonton in that span.

Forward Jordan Greenway has led the Sabres with 22:08 of shorthanded ice time during the month of January while defenseman Erik Johnson has logged 21:52. The duo has averaged over three minutes of shorthanded ice time per game in the 2023-24 campaign while Samuelsson has recorded 2:47.

3. Dahlin's milestone

Rasmus Dahlin is set to play in his 400th career game Saturday. The Sabres’ All-Star defenseman would become the 14th defenseman to play in 400 or more games with Buffalo and the 12th defenseman to play the first 400 games of their career with the Sabres, according to Sabres PR.

Among those skaters, Dahlin currently ranks second in assists (210) and points (361) and third in goals (59).

4. Scouting the Lightning

Tampa Bay enters the contest on a four-game winning streak after defeating Los Angeles, New Jersey, Anaheim, and Minnesota during its four-game homestand. The Lightning currently hold the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 51 points and a 23-17-5 record in 2023-24.

The Lightning are led by Nikita Kucherov, who ranks first among all NHL skaters with 75 points (28+47) this season. The forward has found the scoresheet in 13 of his last 14 games versus Buffalo and is currently riding a three-game point streak with eight assists in that span.

5. Kids Takeover Day

Kids Takeover will see young fans involved in the game day experience with roles such as Jr. Reporter, Jr. Social Media Editor, Jr. In-Arena Host, Jr. PA Announcer, and Jr. Anthem Singer.

The game will feature kid-friendly content and activities throughout the day. For more information and to meet this year’s Kids Takeover team, click here.