Storylines
1. Offense from defense
The Sabres have scored 17 goals in their last three contests – their most in any three-game winning streak since October 2022. But the offense has been a byproduct of a focus on defensive structure and careful puck possession.
That focus continued to pay dividends in St. Louis, when the Sabres were outshot 37-16 and hemmed in for stretches in their own zone. They managed to keep the Blues to the outside and limited high-danger opportunities against to escape with the win.
The Sabres have allowed just five goals against during the three-game streak. At 5-on-5, they’ve allowed 9.06 high-danger chances per 60 minutes. (The full-season leader in the category is Minnesota, with 9.14 chances against per 60.)
“That’s really been our big focus is getting better defensively and allowing that to really fuel our offense, our transition, and get to go play offense,” forward Jason Zucker said. “All of us want to play offense, you want to score goals, you want to be a part of that. But if you don’t defend, you’re gonna be in the D-zone the entire time. It was good for us to kind of home in on that and we’ll keep working on it.”
2. Star power
Dahlin was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday after tallying seven assists in the Sabres’ three victories, tying the franchise record for defensemen over a three-game span.
The team record for assists by a defenseman in a four-game span is eight, shared by Phil Housley (twice), John Van Boxmeer, Hannu Virta, and Brian Campbell.
Zucker, a 14-year veteran who’s played with the likes of Kris Letang and Roman Josi, spoke Monday about what he’s come to admire about the Sabres captain.
“He’s obviously a world-class talent,” Zucker said. “One of the best defensemen in the league, and he shows it every night. Playing against him, obviously you always see his skill, you see his highlights and things like that, but I was really impressed to see how hard he competes, how hard he plays the game. Shift in, shift out, every single night, he brings it. It’s fun to watch.”
3. Scouting the Stars
The Sabres defeated the Stars 4-2 in Buffalo on Oct. 22, led by a 28-save performance from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and a three-assist night from Owen Power.
The Stars were 5-1-0 entering that matchup and have remained one of the NHL’s top teams in the two months since, currently boasting the third-best points percentage in the Central Division at 23-13-1.
Dallas, as in recent years, is fueled by its strong defensive play. The Stars allow an average of 2.54 goals per game, the third-best mark in the NHL.
Goaltender Jake Oettinger is tied for fifth in the NHL with a 2.38 goals-against average, defenseman Miro Heiskanen ranks fifth in the league with an average ice time of 25:11, and fellow defenseman Esa Lindell anchors the league’s fifth-ranked penalty kill.
Matt Duchene leads Dallas with 33 points (14+19).
