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

ST. LOUIS – The Buffalo Sabres begin a three-game road trip Monday at 8 p.m. EST against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center.

Not long ago, such a trip – they’ll then continue to Dallas and Columbus – might’ve been pretty daunting for the 2025-26 Buffalo Sabres, who started the season 2-9-2 away from home.

But since surviving Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 9, Buffalo hasn’t lost anywhere, with an eight-game winning streak including five hard-fought road victories.

As the numbers below detail, improved finishing and dominant goaltending have been the keys for these recent road Sabres.

Alex Lyon (4-0, .925 SV%) and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1-0, .963) have both contributed to that road turnaround, and both are expected to play during this three-game trip. Their play, among others’, has the Sabres squarely in the playoff mix and plenty confident as they head to St. Louis with a ninth straight win on their minds.

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

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 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 (updated 2 p.m.)

Forward Jason Zucker (upper, lower) practiced and traveled with the team Sunday, but he won't play tonight.

Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway and Michael Kesselring all were back on the ice for the morning skate after taking maintenance days Sunday - as was captain Rasmus Dahlin, who met the team in St. Louis after spending the holiday break in Sweden with his fiancée.

• Injuries and transactions | Latest on Zucker, Kozak, Ellis, others

Alex Lyon manned the visiting net during the morning skate, indicating he'll likely start. Here's the full projected lineup based on the morning skate:

Homecoming for Dunne

St. Louis-area native Josh Dunne will play his first NHL home game Monday. He took in the moment during the morning skate, surrounded by the seats from where he took in countless Blues games growing up.

"It's incredible," he said. "I don't even have words for it. Just such a full-circle moment, growing up and going to these games. Just thankful for this opportunity. I wouldn't be here without my family and my coaching staff, so I'm just really excited to be here."

The forward has slotted into the fourth-line center role the last three games, and he’s looked the part. Dunne has used his 6-foot-4 frame to his advantage, holding onto pucks below the goal line and adding some physicality to the lineup.

Dunne has been especially impactful the last two games alongside Greenway and Beck Malenstyn; with that big trio on the ice at 5-on-5, Buffalo has led 18-11 in shot attempts, 13-3 in shots on goal and 1-0 in goals. Dunne and Greenway both assisted on that goal, Bowen Byram’s first in the win at Ottawa.

“He’s been all around it,” Ruff said of Dunne, whose only career goal so far came Oct. 28. “He’s had one or two good opportunities a game – and that’s with more of a limited ice time. But they’re around it, and I think he will get on the board again.”

Scouting the Blues

Improvement in St. Louis, plus regression elsewhere in the Western Conference, has the Blues just one point out of a wild-card spot. They’ve gone 8-6-1 since Thanksgiving, including a 3-2 win over Nashville on Saturday.

The Blues’ goaltending has improved, as Joel Hofer has stepped up with a 6-2-0 record and .934 save percentage during that 8-6-1 stretch. He’s expected to start Monday.

They’re dealing with some forward injuries right now, with Pius Suter, Nathan Walker, Dylan Holloway and Nick Bjugstad all unavailable.

In a scheduling coincidence, the Sabres are playing at St. Louis on Dec. 29 for a second straight year. Buffalo won the 2024 iteration to complete a season-series sweep, but the Blues won 3-0 at KeyBank Center this Nov. 6.

Pregame sound