Sabres to roll same lineup vs. Dallas

Robin Lehner will get the nod in net for the Buffalo Sabres when they host the Dallas Stars at KeyBank Center on Saturday afternoon. Phil Housley said the lineup will remain the same from Buffalo's 4-3 loss to New York on Thursday night, meaning Nicholas Baptiste and Victor Antipin will be scratched.
That also means another opportunity for defenseman Casey Nelson, who took two penalties in 12:46 in his season debut against the Rangers. Housley said the first penalty - which occurred early in the first period - might have put the young defenseman on his heels, but he liked his game overall.
"I think it's just more or less taking care of our own end first," Housley said. "All those things will take care of themselves … Hopefully this game he'll get back to what got him up here, and it's just good puck movement, getting back to the puck first and defending well."

Buffalo's defense will have its hands full against Dallas' top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov. Seguin has scored 12 points in his last 12 games while Benn and Radulov both enter the afternoon riding six-game point streaks.

The Sabres have met the Stars once already this season, a 5-1 loss in Dallas on Nov. 4. The Stars, who are 14-1-1 when leading after one period, scored four first-period goals in that game.
"They're very deadly," Housley said. "You look at their team, they're number three overall on the rush at getting pucks to the net. That tells me our puck management's going to be critical, especially when [the top line is] on the ice and getting pucks deeps. Forcing them to play defense is the best position we can put them in."
The Sabres are coming off a game in which they outshot the Rangers, scored twice on the power play and had one of their best performances of the season when it came to creating net-front traffic. They erased three one-goal deficits along the way, only to lose on a late goal from Pavel Buchnevich.
Kyle Okposo scored a goal and an assist in that game, while Jack Eichel recorded a pair of helpers. Both players enter Saturday having scored multiple points in three straight games.
Coverage on MSG-B begins at 12:30 p.m. with GMC Gamenight, or you can listen to the game live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 1 p.m.

Projected lineup

67 Benoit Pouliot - 15 Jack Eichel - 21 Kyle Okposo
9 Evander Kane - 90 Ryan O'Reilly - 29 Jason Pominville
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 23 Sam Reinhart
20 Scott Wilson - 22 Johan Larsson - 17 Jordan Nolan
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
19 Jake McCabe - 41 Justin Falk
4 Josh Gorges - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Robin Lehner
31 Chad Johnson