SABRES (5-7-4) at AVALANCHE (11-1-5)
9 p.m. ET; KUSA, KTVD, MSG-B, ALT
Sabres projected lineup
Tage Thompson -- Ryan McLeod -- Alex Tuch
Jordan Greenway -- Tyson Kozak -- Josh Doan
Isak Rosen -- Noah Ostlund -- Jack Quinn
Josh Dunne -- Peyton Krebs -- Beck Malenstyn
Bowen Byram -- Conor Timmins
Mattias Samuelsson – Owen Power
Jacob Bryson -- Michael Kesselring
Alex Lyon
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Scratched: Mason Geertsen, Zac Jones, Colton Ellis
Injured: Jason Zucker (illness), Jiri Kulich (blood clot), Zach Benson (lower body), Justin Danforth (lower body), Josh Norris (upper body)
Avalanche projected lineup
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Martin Necas
Ross Colton -- Brock Nelson -- Gavin Brindley
Gabriel Landeskog -- Jack Drury -- Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly -- Zakhar Bardakov -- Taylor Makar
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Josh Manson -- Brent Burns
Samuel Girard -- Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Ilya Solovyov
Injured: Logan O’Connor (hip surgery), Joel Kiviranta (lower body), Valeri Nichushkin (lower body)
Status report
The Sabres did not hold a morning skate Thursday following a 5-2 loss at the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday. ... Forwards Zucker and Benson didn’t travel on the road trip. … Kulich, a forward, is out long term. ... Girard will return after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury and skate on the third defense pair. ... Nichushkin, a forward, is week to week; Brindley, who signed a two-year contract Tuesday, will play in Nichushkin’s spot on the second line. ... Wedgewood signed a one-year contract with Colorado on Thursday.
