Feeling good about their game, the Buffalo Sabres will look to head into the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off on another high note when they visit the struggling Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
The Sabres are riding a season-high four-game winning streak, with one of those victories coming Jan. 31 at home against Nashville. Buffalo hasn’t won five straight since Jan. 19-26, 2023.
“Each day is big. Each win is big, and I think we’re gaining traction right now,” forward Tage Thompson said. “Obviously, Saturday is going to be a big one and make sure we get that one going into the break, continue to build momentum. … I feel like there’s a lot of confidence in our game right now. … All things kind of coming together, just got to be consistent with it.”
Buffalo is expected to have Thompson back in the lineup after he missed a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday because of a concussion sustained on a high hit from New Jersey Devils forward Stefan Noesen on Sunday.
Thompson leads the Sabres with 26 goals and 48 points in 47 games. He has eight points (four goals, four assists) in a three-game point streak and 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in his past nine games.
All of that has come playing at right wing, moved there by coach Lindy Ruff at the start of January as Thompson dealt with an injury that hampered his ability to play center. Over the past week and a half, he’s lined up alongside rookie center Jiri Kulich and JJ Peterka.
“He’s scoring a lot more. That’s really what has stood out,” Ruff said of Thompson. “The connection with those three guys has been good. I think it’s freed him up a little bit from defensive responsibilities down low, to get out of the zone, use his speed a little bit more, get up ice a little bit quicker.”
The Sabres also are expected to have goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and center Dylan Cozens in the lineup on Saturday. Luukkonen missed Tuesday’s game after he sustained a lower-body injury during the morning skate and did not practice Wednesday. Cozens also missed practice Wednesday with a lower-body ailment.
The Predators, meanwhile, will look to snap a six-game losing streak, with the latest defeat a 6-2 setback to the host Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. The slide comes after a 7-2-0 run in Nashville’s previous nine games.
“Obviously, it’s been a really frustrating stretch for us here,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “It’s been a frustrating year, I think, right from the start. Kind of getting our head out of it a little bit, and now we sunk back in. It will be a test of our character. We’ve got one game before the break. Let’s try to play our best game and regroup here a little bit.”
Offense has been hard to come by for the Predators, who are 31st in the NHL with an average of 2.58 goals per game. They’ve struggled to keep the puck out of their own net, too, with 3.30 goals-against per game, seventh most. They’ve been outscored 26-10 during their skid.
“We have another chance tomorrow,” captain Roman Josi said Friday. “It’s one more game before the break, and we’ve got to find our identity.”
–Field Level Media
