The Golden Knights have already done the hard part on this Eastern Conference road trip. They’ve won two straight, banked five of a possible six points, and now get one last shot to finish the swing the right way when they face the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
Puck drop is set for 12:38 p.m. PST.
Vegas comes in off a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, a game where the offense had to grind for every inch. The Golden Knights didn’t find the net easily, but they kept pressing after Detroit moved in front, and two young stars delivered in the third period to seal it.
Buffalo’s last outing came Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Sabres made their early push count. They scored quickly, controlled the second period, and rolled to a 5-2 victory.
Carter Hart is projected to start for Vegas. He enters with a 5-3-2 record and a .900 average save percentage in 10 games this season.
For Buffalo, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to get the nod. He’s 5-3-3 with an .878 average save percentage in 11 appearances.
The Golden Knights’ projected forward group has Brett Howden centering Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, with Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson and Mitch Marner on the next line. On defense, it’s Brayden McNabb with Shea Theodore, Jeremy Lauzon with Rasmus Andersson, and Noah Hanifin with Dylan Coghlan. The goaltending tandem listed is Carter Hart and Adin Hill.
Buffalo’s projected lines feature Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs and Tage Thompson on the top unit, followed by Josh Doan, Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn. Jiri Kulich, Josh Norris and Jason Zucker make up the third line, while Beck Malenstyn, Tyson Kozak and Sam Carrick are on the fourth.
The Sabres’ defense pairs Mattias Samuelsson with Rasmus Dahlin, Olen Zellweger with Owen Power, and Conor Timmins with Zach Metsa. Colten Ellis is listed behind Luukkonen.
Special teams tilt heavily toward Vegas. The Golden Knights’ power play is clicking at 27.8%, good for seventh in the league, while their penalty kill sits at 75.0%, tied for 21st. Buffalo’s power play is at 15.1%, 29th, and its penalty kill is 69.6%, tied for 25th.
There’s recent history here, too, and it hasn’t favored Vegas. The Golden Knights lost both meetings with Buffalo last season and are 7-8-1 all time against the Sabres.
Jack Eichel leads Vegas in scoring with 23 points in 18 games. Against his former team, he has six goals and nine points in seven career games. Tage Thompson paces Buffalo with 19 points in 16 games, and he has four goals and six points in 13 career games against the Golden Knights.
Hart has also seen Buffalo before. In nine career games against the Sabres, he’s 4-2-0 with a .906 average save percentage. Luukkonen, meanwhile, has been even stronger against Vegas, going 4-0-0 with a .939 average save percentage in four career games against the Golden Knights.
Two milestones are also in play. Brayden McNabb is one point away from 200 career points, and Mitch Marner is two points shy of 100 as a Golden Knight.
Vegas is 5-2-2 on the road this season. Buffalo is 4-4-0 at home.
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