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

NEWARK, N.J. – At times during this five-game winning streak, individual efforts have lifted the Buffalo Sabres to special moments. Like Josh Doan's between-the-legs move in Edmonton, or Rasmus Dahlin’s end-to-end rush goal in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the New York Islanders.

Overall, though, it’s taken the entire team to spark and maintain this December surge. The Sabres will look to keep riding that momentum as they take on the New Jersey Devils on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Prudential Center.

Atop the lineup, Tage Thompson has scored in six straight games and Dahlin has been exerting his will with 10 points (3+7) during a seven-game point streak.

Josh Norris scored Saturday’s shootout winner and has been as advertised with nine points in six games, plus a goal wiped out due to goaltender interference. He’s been crucial to the power play’s recent surge, too.

Even defenseman Zach Metsa, stepping into the lineup Saturday for his first game action at any level in two weeks, played 14 solid minutes on a pair with Bowen Byram as he replaced the injured Conor Timmins.

• Injuries and transactions | Latest on Timmins, Kozak, Ellis, Zucker, others

“Throughout the whole lineup, everybody’s doing their job and working really hard for each other,” Dahlin said. “We play a mature game, and we play to win.”

Goaltender Alex Lyon has done his part with a .922 save percentage in the five wins, but the responsible play in front of him has been just as noticeable, especially as the Sabres have led for all but 30 seconds (total) in those five third periods.

“Some of the decision-making as we enter the zone has been a big deal; we’re not fueling the other team’s offense by making high-risk plays,” coach Lindy Ruff said postgame Saturday. “… We’ve played a lot of tight games, and I think we’re getting rewarded for playing the right way.”

Here’s what you need to know before Sunday’s puck drop.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

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

Radio: WGR 550 / Buffalo Sabres App

More ways to watch/listen to Sabres games

Lineup notes

Hot as Lyon has been, he’s unlikely to play both ends of the back-to-back, so Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could start in net for his first action since Dec. 8 in Calgary. It’s also possible that Colten Ellis, who was concussed Dec. 9 but practiced with the team Thursday and Friday, could come off injured reserve to play Sunday.

Forward Tyson Kozak was labeled day-to-day with an upper-body injury and didn't play versus the Islanders.

Ruff will address the media at 5 p.m., so check back then – and during 6:30 warmups – for potential updates and the full projected lines.

Notable numbers

• Leaguewide, there have been four goal-scoring streaks of six or more games this season, and two belong to Thompson. With a goal Sunday, he’ll have the longest streak by a Sabre since Miroslav Satan (8 games) in 1998-99.
• A win would give the Sabres their longest winning streak since December 2022 (6 games).
• Buffalo’s power play has converted at 27.8 percent (10-for-36) since Dec. 1, and the goals have come from all over: Jason Zucker (3), Doan (2), Dahlin (1), Thompson (1), Norris (1), Alex Tuch (1) and Zach Benson (1).
• Saturday's win moved the Sabres to two games above .500 (16-14-4). They haven't been three games up (or better) since the end of the 2022-23 season.

Scouting the Devils

It’s been a streaky season for the Devils, who’ve followed a five-game losing streak – which started after beating Buffalo on Black Friday – with a 4-2-0 stretch. They most recently earned 2-1 wins at Vegas on Wednesday and Utah on Friday.

They’ve held onto a playoff spot, for now, despite missing guys like Jack Hughes (hand), Timo Meier (personal), Arseny Gritsyuk (upper body), Evgenii Dadonov (hand), Johnathan Kovacevic (knee) and Simon Nemec (lower body), among others. That said, Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said he expects to “get some bodies back” for Sunday’s game.

New Jersey has killed off just 15 of 27 shorthanded situations (56 percent) in December, so the Sabres and their heating-up power play may be catching the Devils at the right time.

Because of the Global Series last fall, the Sabres haven’t played at Prudential Center since November 2023. They haven’t won in the building since April 2022.