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

The Buffalo Sabres will look to continue their franchise-record road point streak when they visit the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday.

The Sabres have earned at least a point in 11 straight road games (10-0-1), surpassing the previous benchmark set during the 1983-84 and 2006-07 seasons. They’ve averaged an NHL-best 4.27 goals per game on the road during that span.

Of course, the Sabres have proven they can win anywhere. They’ve won 10 of 11 games since the Olympic break, including five on home ice.

The run has propelled the Sabres toward the top of the standings, currently two points back from Carolina (who won Wednesday) for first place in the conference and four points ahead of Tampa Bay (who plays tonight) for first in the Atlantic Division. Find a full breakdown of the standings and Thursday’s slate of games here. 

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

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How to watch

TV (Sabres broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 9:30 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 Alex Lyon’s turn in the goalie rotation, and he’ll be gunning for his own piece of history.

Lyon has won nine straight road games, just two shy of the NHL record held by Evgeni Nabokov and Devan Dubnyk. Only three others have reached 10 straight road wins (Nabokov, Carey Price and Kevin Lankinen).

In front of Lyon, all eyes will be on Alex Tuch’s status after he missed Tuesday’s win in Vegas due to an illness.

The Sabres did not practice Wednesday, so check back after the team’s morning skate (scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT) for updates on Tuch and the rest of the lineup.

Quick hits

• Buffalo has an all-time points percentage of .692 against San Jose, its highest against any opponent.
• Rasmus Dahlin has 12 points (1+11) in his last 10 games against the Sharks.
• Zach Metsa is coming off one of his strongest games of the season in Vegas on Tuesday. While he was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Sabres led 17-10 in shot attempts and 4-1 in high-danger chances (according to Natural Stat Trick).

Scouting the Sharks

The Sabres defeated the Sharks 6-3 in Buffalo on March 10, propelled by a hat trick from Jack Quinn and a highlight-reel goal from Beck Malenstyn.

The Sharks have since gone 2-2-0, keeping them on the fringe of the Western Conference playoff picture. They trail Seattle by one point for the second wild card.

San Jose has allowed a combined 12 goals in its last two losses, upping its season goals against total to 233 (fourth highest in the NHL).

Any conversation about the Sharks has to include teenage phenom Macklin Celebrini, who scored in the previous meeting with the Sabres. Celebrini’s 158 points in two seasons rank sixth among teenage players in NHL history behind Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, Dale Hawerchuk, Jimmy Carson and Steve Yzerman.