Sabres at Predators | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

The Buffalo Sabres are back in action on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

The Sabres will look to rebound from a 2-1 loss in Carolina on Monday. Hurricanes rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi made a highlight reel’s worth of saves to keep the Sabres from building on an early lead, including a save-of-the-year candidate on Tage Thompson.

“I think it helps with our schedule that we have so much hockey, there’s really no time to sit and think about it,” Thompson said postgame. “I think we come in the locker room after that loss, and you can look yourself in the mirror and be happy with how you played. Obviously, sucks not getting the results, but I thought we played hard, and we’ve just got to play the same way tomorrow against Nashville.”

Buffalo did get help from around the NHL, with Toronto, Florida and Washington also losing on Monday. That keeps Buffalo in the second wild card spot with 57 points.

The next test comes in the form of a veteran Nashville team which struggled to open the season but has come on as of late. The Predators have won four of their last six games, including a road win over the NHL’s top team in Colorado.

The game will see the NHL’s Stars of the Week go head-to-head. Thompson, named First Star of the Week on Monday, had 10 points in four games prior to being held off the board in Carolina. Predators defenseman Roman Josi was named Second Star after matching Thompson with 10 points in four contests.

The puck drops at 8 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Sabres broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 p.m.)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, ESPN+ (out of market)

Radio: WWKB 1520 / Buffalo Sabres App

More ways to watch/listen to Sabres games

Lineup notes

Michael Kesselring’s status is in question after the defenseman missed Monday’s game in Carolina. Kesselring tweaked his previous ankle injury in his return to the lineup on Saturday against Minnesota, coach Lindy Ruff said.

“There’s a possibility he plays (at Nashville); it’s nothing that we think is too serious,” Ruff said.

The Sabres will have options in net, with Alex Lyon having been activated from injured reserve to back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Monday. Lyon has not played since sustaining a lower-body injury on Dec. 29. Colten Ellis is also available to start.

Ruff is scheduled to speak to the media at 11:45 a.m. Check back afterward for potential updates.

Quick hits

• Rasmus Dahlin’s goal on Monday extended his point streak to five games, with three goals and three assists in that span.
• The Sabres are 4-1-1 in the second games of back-to-back sets this season. They won on such an occassion as recently as last Thursday, when they beat the Canadiens to sweep a back-to-back set at home.

Scouting the Predators

The Predators are 17-9-0 dating back to Nov. 26. Their 17 wins in that span are tied with the Sabres (and four other teams) for second-most in the NHL, behind Colorado.

The big names throughout the Nashville lineup have helped engineer the run. Former Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly had a hat trick in the win over Colorado and leads the team in points. Steven Stamkos ranks fifth in the NHL with 17 goals since Nov. 26. Goaltender Juuse Saros is 13-6-0 in that span.

The stretch has Nashville back in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, currently three points out of a wild card spot.