Storylines
1. Third line
Buffalo’s third line of Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich and Peyton Krebs continued its strong play in Tuesday’s loss, holding a 13-8 edge in shot attempts during its 11:16 of 5-on-5 ice time – it was the only Sabres line to out-attempt Dallas, as the Stars finished the night with a 59.7-percent shot-attempt share.
With that line on the ice in the last four games, beginning Dec. 23 at the Islanders, Buffalo has led 50-32 in shot attempts, 25-15 in shots on goal, 25-18 in scoring chances and 3-1 in goals.
Their 200-foot effort has led to individual production as well during that four-game span, with three goals and an assist for Kulich, two assists for Benson and a goal for Krebs on Sunday at St. Louis – his fourth of the season and first since Nov. 23.
Read Monday’s practice report for more on Kulich’s recent success.
2. Scouting the Avalanche
In the Dec. 3 matchup, Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev was pulled after allowing four first-period goals; the Avalanche have since traded Georgiev to San Jose for Mackenzie Blackwood, whom they signed to a five-year extension last Friday.
Blackwood is 5-1-0 with a .936 save percentage for Colorado, while backup Scott Wedgewood, another midseason acquisition, is 4-2 with a .932 save percentage. The tandem has stabilized Colorado’s biggest weakness and helped the Avalanche go 10-3-0 since that KeyBank Center comeback.
Top-end scoring talent helps, too. Nathan MacKinnon tallied two goals and an assist on Dec. 3 and leads the NHL with 61 points (14+47). Mikko Rantanen is tied for third with 54 points (21+33), and defenseman Cale Makar leads NHL blueliners with 46 points (11+35).
MacKinnon and Rantanen’s linemate Artturi Lehkonen, up to 14 goals after scoring four times in the last two games, is on pace to shatter his career high of 21 (set in 2022-23). He scored the third-period game winner in Buffalo last month.
3. Byram's return
Bowen Byram will play as a visitor for the first time in Colorado, where he spent parts of four seasons to begin his career and won the Stanley Cup in 2022. The defenseman spent his day off on Wednesday reconnecting with former teammates.
“I came here as a young guy and it kind of became my second home,” Byram said. “Lots of fond memories at the rink, away from the rink. Met a lot of good people and grew a lot of good friendships, so it’d good to see everyone.”
Byram skated 26:30 and had an assist in the Sabres’ previous meeting with the Avalanche.
“Obviously they’ve got a really good team over there,” he said. “We’ve got to be on top of our game and be ready to compete and skate with those guys, so it’s a good challenge for our group.”
