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

Following a disappointing loss at home, the Buffalo Sabres will look to turn the page quickly when they open a six-game road trip against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Thursday.

The Sabres wrapped up a four-game homestand with an 8-3 loss to division rival Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Buffalo trailed 4-0, cut the deficit to one goal early in the third period, then saw the Lightning reclaim control on a Nikita Kucherov natural hat trick.

• Postgame Report: Defensive miscues cost Sabres vs. Lightning

“We weren’t good as a group,” coach Lindy Ruff said postgame. “I’m moving on, we’re playing Chicago tomorrow.”

The loss dropped the Sabres to 1-3-0 in their homestand. Conversely, they’ve earned a point in all but one of their eight road games this season (4-1-3), having swept their last three games away from KeyBank Center in California.

Beginning Thursday, 10 of the Sabres’ next 12 games will be played on the road. It starts against a Blackhawks team that has struggled to date, currently in the throes of a four-game losing streak.

The puck drops at 8 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Sabres broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 p.m.)

Streaming (Sabres broadcast market): DAZN

Radio: WGR 550 / Buffalo Sabres App

More ways to watch/listen to Sabres games

Lineup notes

The Sabres will not hold a morning skate, meaning we’ll have to wait until warmups at 7:30 p.m. for potential lineup changes.

The net will be an area to watch, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis having both played Wednesday. Luukkonen stopped nine of 14 shots prior to being pulled early in the third period; Ellis stopped five of eight in relief.

Ruff said Tuesday that Alex Lyon was expected to join the team for its road trip but did not announce a target date for his return to game action. Lyon has not played this season due to an upper-body injury.

Numbers to know

• The Sabres have won seven straight games against the Blackhawks, including a 4-3 win in Buffalo on Oct. 3. The Sabres have outscored the Blackhawks 34-13 in that span.
• Luukkonen, who earned the win on Oct. 3, is 7-0-0 with a .915 save percentage in his career against Chicago.
• Tage Thompson’s goal on Thursday moved him into a tie with Miroslav Satan for eighth place on the Sabres’ all-time list (224). Next up is Mike Foligno at 247.

Scouting the Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games, including a current four-game losing streak in which they’ve allowed a combined 23 goals. They dropped their most recent game 9-2 in Carolina on Saturday.

Injuries have done their part to slow a rebuilding group. Bowen Byram, acquired from the Sabres this past summer, is currently out and has been limited to six games due to an upper-body injury. Patrick Kane, their other offseason acquisition, is currently day to day with an upper-body injury.

Chicago ranks near the bottom of the NHL in nearly every category as a result, including the standings. Only Vancouver has fewer points than Chicago’s nine.

Connor Bedard, back after missing the start of the season due to injury, and rookie Roman Kantserov have been the bright spots. Kantserov leads NHL rookies with nine goals.