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

WINNIPEG – The Buffalo Sabres conclude a four-game road trip with a visit to play the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Sunday afternoon.

The Sabres are 1-2-0 on the trip thus far following a 4-1 loss in Minnesota on Saturday. They face another strong test in the Jets, who sit atop the Western Conference standings and are firmly in Presidents’ Trophy contention with 100 points.

The puck drops at 3 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 2:30 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Lineup notes (updated 1:15 p.m.)

Jack Quinn will be back in the lineup after sitting out Saturday's game, coach Lindy Ruff said. Brett Murray will also join the lineup in place of Sam Lafferty, who left Saturday's game with a groin injury.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started against the Wild, which likely lines up James Reimer to get the nod in goal on Sunday.

Storylines

1. About yesterday

The Sabres played a strong first period but were unable to capitalize on their scoring chances against red-hot Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson.

The Wild answered with a run of three goals in the first 10 minutes of the second period and never looked back. JJ Peterka scored Buffalo’s lone goal, his second in as many games since returning from a lower-body injury.

Read more in Saturday’s Postgame Report.

2. Revisiting Bernard-Docker’s debut

The Sabres acquired Jacob Bernard-Docker from Ottawa along with Josh Norris ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. While Norris joined the lineup the very next day, Bernard-Docker – an Alberta native – had to wait a week for visa clearance before even joining practice.

The 24-year-old defenseman spent the subsequent week getting accustomed to his new teammates and new surroundings until he finally made his debut on Saturday. It was his first game since Dec. 28; he spent the end of his tenure with the Senators rehabbing an injury and then waiting for a chance to get back into their lineup.

“It felt really good obviously to be back in game action and to be playing with the guys here,” Bernard-Docker said. “It’s been a long time coming and it felt really good.”

The seven-defenseman lineup allowed for Bernard-Docker – a right shot – to see ice time alongside each of the Sabres’ five left-shot defensemen, with Bowen Byram and Rasmus Dahlin serving as his most frequent partners. He skated 11:29 in total and was not on the ice for a goal against.

“For me, playing on the right side of any of those guys, it’s just trying to put the puck in their hands and kind of just be a safety net for them and hopefully be a good partner for one of them,” Bernard-Docker said. “That’s the goal.”

3. Scouting the Jets

Winnipeg opened the season on an 11-game winning streak and has since remained the class of the Western Conference, ranked at or near the top in most statistical categories.

The Jets boast a plus-78 goal differential, the best in the NHL. They rank second in the league in goals scored, first with a 30.0-percent success rate on the power play (even after a recent 0-for-9 skid), and first in goals allowed.

Connor Hellebuyck is poised to win his third Vezina Trophy with league-leading numbers in wins (40), save percentage (.924), and goals-against average (2.06).

Kyle Connor (37 goals) and Mark Scheifele (35) form one of the league’s top goal-scoring duos, both ranked in the top five of the NHL leaderboard. On the back end, Josh Morrissey ranks fifth among NHL defensemen with 54 points.

The Jets enter Sunday with points in eight straight home games at 7-0-1.

Game notes

• Peterka has 21 points (11+10) in his last 19 games played.
• Power has five points (1+4) in his last five games after delivering the primary assist on Peterka’s goal on Saturday.
• Tyson Kozak is a native of Souris, Manitoba – about 150 miles west of Winnipeg. If he plays Sunday, it will be the rookie’s first NHL game in his home province.