Sabres vs. Lightning | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

The Buffalo Sabres, winners of two straight and five of their last six games, host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at KeyBank Center.

Buffalo returns from a three-game road trip, during which it lost Saturday in Philadelphia, then proceeded to beat the conference-leading Capitals 8-5 on Sunday and the playoff-bound Senators 5-2 on Tuesday.

Those wins saw the Sabres successfully build, defend and extend third-period leads, something they admittedly struggled with earlier this season. That growth, forward Peyton Krebs feels, is a product of improved team buy-in.

“I think we’ve been working on it a lot, emphasizing those little details as a group,” said Krebs, whose breakaway goal put Buffalo up 4-1 in Tuesday’s third period. “For us to be a good team, we’ve got to close out these games. Early in the year, we weren’t doing that, and that’s a good step in the right direction. It’s a lot of fun winning those hockey games.”

To that point, since their Jan. 2 overtime loss in Colorado, the Sabres are 11-0-0 when leading after two periods. Marked progress, and a trend they hope to continue for the final eight games of the regular season.

Here’s what you need to know before puck drop at 7 p.m.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Lineup notes (updated 6:35 p.m.)

Forward Noah Ostlund, recalled Friday from Rochester, is expected to make his NHL debut. The 21-year-old has totaled 35 points (18+17) in his last 32 games, including eight goals in his last six. Ostlund fills the spot of Tyson Kozak, who's week to week with a hip strain.

"I only get one first game, so I’m gonna try to take everything in and play my game out there," Ostlund said. "It’s gonna be a cool experience."

• Read: Red-hot Ostlund set for NHL debut

Here are the lines from warmups, with James Reimer getting the start in net.

Storylines

1. All systems go for Tage and Co.

Buffalo has scored 24 goals across its last four games. That’s tied for the most by any team in a four-game span this season, and it’s the most by the Sabres since 2007.

Fourteen skaters have multiple points during the span, led by Alex Tuch (5+3) and Jack Quinn (3+5) with eight apiece. Krebs (3+2), Tage Thompson (4+1), Ryan McLeod (2+3) and JJ Peterka (1+4) each have five points.

The Sabres' power play has chipped in with three goals in 12 opportunities, as has the penalty kill with a couple shorthanded tallies. But it’s their even-strength offense that’s remained their biggest strength, as they rank second in the NHL with 2.87 5-on-5 goals scored per 60 minutes this season.

Thompson has five goals in the last five games, including two game winners, and his 39 this season rank fourth in the NHL. He’s on the cusp of becoming the eighth player in Sabres history with multiple 40-goal campaigns after scoring 47 in 2022-23.

“I think his game continues to grow every year,” Krebs said. “His confidence is unmatched – that’s when he’s at his best. I think when you see him doing the little details – backchecking, forechecking – it adds up, and I think it’s working really well for him. He’s finding the back of the net, and it’s great to see.”

2. Home-ice advantage

The Sabres have thrived at KeyBank Center over the last couple months, going 10-2-0 since Jan. 27. That includes six straight wins beginning that night and an active four-game home winning streak.

Since Jan. 27, that .833 home points percentage ranks sixth in the NHL, and the Sabres’ 4.08 goals scored per game at home ranks third. For the season, Buffalo is 19-14-3 at home with five games remaining.

3. Scouting the Lightning

The Lightning lost 2-1 in Ottawa on Thursday, but they're still 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and sit three points behind Toronto for the division lead.

Nikita Kucherov ranks second behind Nathan MacKinnon with 111 points (33+78), having reached triple digits for the fifth time in his career; among active players, only Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Sidney Crosby have more such seasons. He’s been especially hot lately with 14 points (4+10) in his last six games.

The Lightning have also gotten 30-goal campaigns from Jake Guentzel (38), Brayden Point (38) and Brandon Hagel (34), and Anthony Cirelli isn’t far behind with 26 goals. So, it’s no surprise Tampa Bay ranks second in the league with 3.56 goals scored per game this season.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has remained tough with a 6-2-0 record and .937 save percentage in his last eight games.

These teams’ first meeting came March 6 at Amalie Arena, where Guentzel’s hat trick led a second-period comeback and Oliver Bjorkstrand’s third-period goal was the difference in a 6-5 final. Five goals allowed tied a season high for Vasilevskiy.

Tonight will mark the first return to KeyBank Center for forward Zemgus Girgensons, who played 688 games across 10 seasons with Buffalo.

Game notes

• Quinn has nine points (4+5) in his last five games, the most productive five-game stretch of his career.
• The Sabres have scored four shorthanded goals (in 25 shorthanded situations) in their last eight games.
• Reimer has won five straight starts, posting a .904 save percentage in that stretch. His career-long win streak was six games in 2013.
• Tuch’s 16 goals trail only Alex Ovechkin since Feb. 4.