Sabres at Blue Jackets | How to watch, storylines, and more

COLUMBUS – Tage Thompson emphasized the need for the Sabres to turn the page following an overtime loss in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. They have an opportunity to bounce back tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

“Frustrating one, but we’ve got a quick turnaround, another chance to get back at it tomorrow, so got to flush this one and move on,” Thompson said. “Silver lining is we got a point out of it, so you’ve got to take that with us and keep things moving.”

Read Wednesday’s Postgame Report for more from the game in Pittsburgh, which featured four lead changes and a two-goal return from JJ Peterka.

The puck drops tonight at 7 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Storylines

1. The lineup

The Sabres will not hold a morning skate, so check back for lineup updates after coach Lindy Ruff meets with the media around 4:50 p.m.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played in Pittsburgh, which likely lines up Devon Levi to get the start in goal tonight. Levi has stopped 57 of 62 shots in two starts this season, including a 34-save victory over the Panthers on Saturday.

2. Back-to-back

The Sabres are concluding their second back-to-back set of the season. Ruff spoke ahead of the trip about learning from the first set, a pair of losses to the New Jersey Devils in Czechia earlier this month.

Ruff said he thought the Sabres played a strong game in the first meeting with the Devils, but gave up too many high-danger chances in the second.

“The part I really like is, in the meetings after that, everybody recognized that you just can’t go running all over the place,” Ruff said. “You can’t make high-risk plays.

“You’re in a back-to-back, don’t give up the high-quality chances. But you have to play a smarter game in back-to-back games, or a lot of times your energy can’t match the team you’re playing against if they’re not playing back-to-back.”

3. Scouting the Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets are coming off an emotional home opener in which they honored the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

With the Gaudreau family in attendance, the team raised a banner in Johnny and Matthew’s memory to the rafters pregame. They took the opening faceoff with the left-wing spot vacated in tribute to Johnny, then allowed 13 seconds to elapse off the game clock as a nod to his jersey number.

Sean Monahan – Gaudreau’s close friend and teammate for years in Calgary – scored a goal during the 4-3 loss to Florida and immediately pointed to the Gaudreau banner.

“I felt like Johnny was watching down on us today,” Monahan said postgame, according to the Blue Jackets website.

Players to watch

Buffalo – Alex Tuch, RW

Tuch enters Thursday on a four-game point streak after tallying two points in each of the Sabres’ last two contests, including a two-assist effort in Pittsburgh.

Tuch pressured Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson to force a turnover behind the net and set up Thompson’s goal during the opening minute. His outlet pass to Bowen Byram created a 2-on-1 rush that ended with a goal for Peterka later in the first period.

Tuch leads the Sabres with six points (1+5) through the first five games of the season.

Columbus – Yegor Chinakov, LW

The Blue Jackets are without captain Boone Jenner (shoulder), fellow forward Dmitri Voronkov (upper body), and defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) due to injuries.

The 23-year-old Chinakov has led the way in their absence, posting a team-high five points (1+4) through Columbus’ first three games while playing on the top line alongside Monahan and Kirill Marchenko. The trio has combined for 13 points, including three against Florida on Tuesday.

Chinakov, a first-round pick in 2020, set career highs with 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games last season.