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

The Buffalo Sabres are finally back in action after 19 days without a game, taking on the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Prudential Center.

They’ve had plenty of time to prepare for this one. The Sabres held five long practices in the last week to shake off any rust from the break, and on Monday they revisited their 3-1 road win over the Devils from December.

“We got back at some video and just showed some of our stuff from the last game playing New Jersey, some of the stuff we did well inside that game that allowed us to play a really good game,” said coach Lindy Ruff. “Got back to the tendencies that we’ve been good at, and I think it reflected in practice.”

That win, highlighted by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s 26 saves, was No. 6 in Buffalo’s season-saving, 10-game streak. The team has stabilized with an 11-4-2 record since the streak ended, so it returns to play occupying the first Eastern Conference wild card spot.

• Read: Keys to Sabres’ post-break schedule

With close competition above and below them in the standings, the Sabres understand the urgency they need to approach every game with, and that starts Wednesday.

“The mindset now is we’re already in the playoffs, in the sense that playoff games start when we play New Jersey,” forward Jason Zucker said. “Every team has that same mindset and mentality coming into these last 25 games, and then it’s just a sprint here all the way out. … We’re in playoff mode, and that’s gonna help us get there.”

Here’s what you need to know before that sprint begins Wednesday night.

How to watch

TV (Sabres 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

It’s not yet clear whether Tage Thompson, who’s back in the country after his gold medal win with Team USA, will be in the lineup Wednesday.

Forward Zach Benson (upper body) is out, but Josh Norris (upper body), Josh Dunne (middle body) and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) are all available to return off injured reserve and play.

The Sabres also recalled 20-year-old Anton Wahlberg, a former second-round pick who's played center and wing with the Amerks while collecting 25 points (6+19) this season. Wahlberg has yet to make his NHL debut.

Check back after the 11:30 a.m. morning skate for potential lineup updates.

Where were we?

Here are some key numbers from the Sabres before the break:

• Thompson has 15 points (8+7) in his last 12 games. His 30 goals this season are tied for eighth most in the league.
• Alex Tuch has 10 goals in 18 games since the start of January.
• Mattias Samuelsson is plus-19 with 22 points (6+16) in his last 25 games.
• Rasmus Dahlin is riding a seven-game point streak (4+8); his career best was eight games in October 2023. Read about his experience at The Winter Olympics.
• Alex Lyon is 8-0-0 with a .929 save percentage in his last eight road games.
• The Sabres are 13-2-1 (.844) in their last 16 road games. They’re 15-11-3 (.569) on the road this season, 12th best in the NHL.
• Buffalo has a power-play goal in six straight games. The man advantage has converted at 27.5 percent in the last 13 games.

Scouting the Devils

That Dec. 21 loss to Buffalo began a four-game losing streak and 8-13-1 slide for the Devils, who now find themselves 11 points out of a playoff spot. While their special teams have played well, they’ve been outscored 54-30 at 5-on-5 during that span.

Goaltender Jake Allen has faced the Sabres both times this season: a 42-save shutout on Black Friday, then the 22-save loss on Dec. 21.

Like Thompson, it’s possible golden goal scorer Jack Hughes misses the game for New Jersey. Hughes was absent from the Devils' practice on Tuesday, as were Swiss Olympians Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler.