Buffalo Sabres vs. Minnesota Wild Pick & Prediction JANUARY 28th 2023
Jimmy Liu
The surging Buffalo Sabres eye a sixth straight win when they wrap up their road trip with a visit to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
The Sabres head into the contest after dispatching the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, taking a 3-0 lead before the Jets scored twice in the final minutes. Buffalo is 6-1-1 in its past eight games and 14-5-1 since Dec. 13, when the Sabres kicked off their most recent six-game winning streak.
"This team is fantastic," goalie Eric Comrie said. "It's the most fun I've (had) playing hockey in my whole life. It's just fun to be a part of, it's a fun group to be around. We love the game of hockey and we love each other. It's that kind of atmosphere that just breeds performance. Guys want to come here now and it's so much fun to be a part of that. Seeing these guys just battle every single night is pretty special."
Rasmus Dahlin continues his remarkable campaign, surpassing last season's career-high assists (40) and point total (53) with a pair of helpers against the Jets, giving him 55 points through 47 games. The 22-year-old has seven points in his past five games.
He's not the only blue-liner enjoying a strong season, with fellow No. 1 overall Owen Power impressing in his rookie season. The 20-year-old is averaging 23:34 of ice time per game, leading all NHL freshmen, and brings a three-game goal streak and four-game point streak into Saturday's matchup.
"I know he hasn't been talked about for rookie of the year. It's astonishing to me because I don't know how he couldn't be," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "What he does on a nightly basis is just amazing, when you factor in his age and lack of experience in our league, to dominate situations and, really, full games the way he does."
The Sabres could have Mattias Samuelsson back in the lineup after the defenseman was scratched with a lower-body injury Thursday.
The Wild hope to build off a win against the Philadelphia Flyers and go on a streak of their own, to solidify their tenuous hold on a playoff spot. The victory moved Minnesota back into third place in the Central Division, one point up on the Colorado Avalanche and two points ahead of the Nashville Predators.
Minnesota is 7-6-1 since a six-game winning streak in mid-December.
"We just need more jam, more of that team-together mentality," forward Marcus Foligno said. "We, not lost it, but need to get it back. That's our MO. That's what teams know coming in here. Just playing us in general, it's going to be a hard night. And I felt the last three games (before the win against Philadelphia) was a little bit easy for our opponents."
Rookie Matt Boldy has seven points (four goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak after being held without a point in six straight.
Ryan Hartman will be back in the lineup after being scratched Thursday.
"Our job as players is to come in the morning and where we're at is where we play," Hartman said. "We're bought into the system."
--Field Level Media
Buffalo Sabres vs. Minnesota Wild Recap JAN 28TH 2023
Frederick Gaudreau scored the clinching goal in a shootout to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday in Saint Paul, Minn.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared Spurgeon scored in regulation and Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for the Wild, who have won two straight immediately after a three-game losing streak.
Jack Quinn and Zemgus Girgensons scored for the Sabres, whose five-game winning streak ended. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 33 saves.
Quinn gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 2:22 of the first period.
After intercepting Minnesota defenseman Jake Middleton's pass up the right wall, Quinn held off forward Connor Dewar and skated down low before turning back up to the top of the zone and finally curling into the slot and beating Fleury stick side.
Eriksson Ek tied it 1-1 on a power play at 3:35 of the first.
Luukkonen couldn't hold onto a shot from the top of the left circle and got tangled up with Mats Zuccarello to the left of the crease as both went for the loose puck. Zuccarello got it first and quickly sent it over to Kaprizov below the goal line, and he fed Eriksson Ek for the tap-in to an open net.
Girgensons put the Sabres back in front at 9:50 of the second period. Peyton Krebs won a puck battle behind the net and sent it back to Kyle Okposo, who quickly dished off to an uncovered Girgensons on the doorstep for a 2-1 lead.
The Wild again responded quickly.
Gaudreau showed patience inside the right circle before feeding a pinching Spurgeon on the back door, and Spurgeon tied it 2-2 at 12:39.
That spurred the home side, who pushed and pressed in the latter half of the period. However, Luukkonen preserved the tie with several key saves, including a pair of consecutive stops on Kaprizov, who was teed up by Zuccarello for one-timers from the right circle.
Rasmus Dahlin appeared to give the Sabres a 3-2 lead in the dying seconds of the middle frame, but a video review showed the puck crossed the line after time had expired.
--Field Level Media
- NHL
