The Edmonton Oilers will host the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Place on Tuesday night, with Stuart Skinner starting in goal for Edmonton. The Sabres aim to rebound from a 0-3 road trip start, including a 7-4 loss to Calgary, while the Oilers seek to build on recent offensive outbursts. Both teams prepare for a rematch after Buffalo's 5-1 win over Edmonton in November.
The Edmonton Oilers are preparing to welcome the Buffalo Sabres to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, for a Tuesday night clash. Goaltender Stuart Skinner is expected to start for the Oilers, backing an unchanged lineup as they aim to maintain momentum from back-to-back home wins. Edmonton recently defeated the Seattle Kraken 9-4 and the Winnipeg Jets 6-2, combining for 15 goals across those games.
Skinner emphasized the team's defensive structure in a pre-game comment: "I think first of all, it starts in the D zone. The way that we've been playing, we're sticking to our structure, and everyone's sticking to their job. Then offensively, we've got a lot of skill up front, so just letting them do their thing and get creative, get to the net, get pucks to the net, and it's just doing the hard things and the little things right. We've been able to get rewarded for that."
Head coach Kris Knoblauch highlighted the Sabres' dangers: "They're a very dangerous team. They've got a lot of speed, whether that's from their forwards or defencemen, and if you're caught sleeping out of position, they're going to take advantage of that. A lot of offence is driven by their defencemen. They've got good puck movers who like to get involved, and when it's going well, it's very dangerous. But if you can check well and stay on top, you can create some offence yourself."
The Oilers' projected forward lines include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centering Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman on the first line, with Leon Draisaitl on the second alongside Nils Hoglander (noted as Podkolzin in lineup, but context suggests recent adjustments) and Matthew Savoie. The third line features Jonathan Mangiapane, Adam Henrique, and Jesper Jenmark, while Trent Frederic, Curtis Lazar, and David Tomasek make up the fourth. Defense pairs are Mattias Ekholm with Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse with Alec Regula, and Brett Kulak with Connor Carrick (Emberson). Calvin Pickard is the backup goalie.
McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman, and Bouchard combined for 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in the recent wins, with depth scoring from the fourth line contributing two goals against the Jets. Regula is regaining form after an early-season injury.
For the Sabres, captain Rasmus Dahlin kept it brief after Monday's 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames: “Regroup. Game tomorrow. We’ve got to win.” The team is 0-3-0 on their six-game road trip. Forward Jason Zucker is out week-to-week with upper- and lower-body injuries and was placed on injured reserve, prompting the recall of Isak Rosen from Rochester, where he tallied seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) in five games. Coach Lindy Ruff noted of Rosen: “He gained a lot of confidence from playing here that he went down with – a renewed feeling that, when he does come here, he can help us.”
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started against Calgary, so either Colten Ellis or Alex Lyon is likely in net; Lyon stopped all four shots in relief. Peyton Krebs may join Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch on the first line.
The teams last met on November 17 in Buffalo, where the Sabres won 5-1 and held McDavid pointless. Edmonton has scored five power-play goals in their recent wins, with 10 different players contributing offensively against the Kraken and Jets.