Storylines
1. First-line frenzy
On Tuesday, Thompson and Peterka became the first Sabres teammates with hat tricks in the same game since Derek Roy and Drew Stafford on Jan. 18, 2008. They finished the night with plus-six ratings, a feat no Sabres skater had accomplished since Richard Smehlik on Feb. 2, 1998.
Thompson, Peterka and Kulich have now spent five games together on the top line, and in their 46:55 of 5-on-5 ice time, Buffalo has outscored its opponents 7-2. The three have combined for 12 goals and 20 assists during that span.
“Their game in Vancouver was good, the game in Calgary I liked,” Ruff said. “Edmonton (was) a little bit of a down game for that line, but I thought they bounced back and had one hell of a night.”
Each of Thompson and Peterka's six combined goals Tuesday came on the rush; quick skating and decisive passing, initiated by active defenseman, helped expose Boston’s loose forecheck and defensive structure.
“I can’t mention (enough) how important it is to have our D be involved in the rush,” Thompson said postgame. “On [JJ’s] goal, OP’s leading the rush there, and my first one, Bo’s leading the rush. So those are things that open up more ice for me and JJ to make plays.”
Owen Power (25 even-strength points) and Bowen Byram (22) are tied for sixth and 16th, respectively, among NHL defensemen in that category, while Rasmus Dahlin (21 even-strength points) is tied for 19th. Their 200-foot activity is on full display when Buffalo’s offense scores in bunches, as it certainly did Tuesday.
“If you look at the D’s numbers, they’ve been heavily involved,” Ruff said. “They’ve driven a lot of our offense all year long.”
2. Second line solidified
The first line’s recent dominance has moved Jason Zucker, who missed two games on the road trip due to illness, to the second line alongside Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch. Those three had all played with one another at times, but rarely together as a 5-on-5 trio before Saturday in Edmonton.
These last two games, during that line’s 23:01 of 5-on-5 ice time, the Sabres have held a 31-17 edge in shot attempts and 17-10 in shots on goal. Tuch opened the scoring off a primary assist from Zucker on Saturday. Cozens has three assists, tallying a point in consecutive games for the first time in a month.
“Just seems they’ve got some chemistry,” Ruff said. “All of a sudden, with McLeod coming back in, Zucks coming back in and Kuli playing the way he is, the lines I think have sorted themselves out.
“That line, you look at the Edmonton game, gave us a nice goal. They’re in on some good opportunities. I think it’s a line that can create offense and at the same time be a really tough line to play against.”
3. Scouting the Predators
After an active summer in which they signed Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, the 2024-25 season hasn’t gone as planned for the Predators; Nashville found itself winless through five games and 11-20-7 at the New Year.
They’ve gone 7-4-0 in January on the strength of a resurgent offense, leading the NHL in goals scored per game (3.55) and shots on goal per game (33.1). Through December, in comparison, the Predators had scored an NHL-worst 2.39 goals per game.
Filip Forsberg leads the team with 18 goals – nine of which have come this month – and 49 points. Stamkos has six goals in January and 17 this season, including nine on the power play. Defenseman Roman Josi, the franchise leader in points, ranks third on the team with 35 (9+26) this season. And former Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly, now 33 years old, has 28 points (14+14).
Juuse Saros, who will soon join Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Team Finland’s 4 Nations Face-Off goaltending corps, has gone 11-20-6 with a .900 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average. He’s allowed 11 goals on 65 shots in his last three games, though, while backup Justus Annunen has won each of his four January appearances.
The Predators won both matchups last season, but these teams are 3-3 against one another since 2021-22. The Sabres will visit Nashville on Feb. 8 to conclude the season series.
