Malenstyn's point drought reached 23 games in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Wild.
Malenstyn has a minus-11 rating, 17 shots on net, 67 hits and 16 blocked shots in that span. The 27-year-old has mostly played on the fourth line this season, but a drought of this length is a bit much for even the least goal-oriented players. His first season as a Sabre has been disappointing with just nine points, a minus-16 rating, 53 shots on net, 167 hits, 52 blocked shots and 25 PIM across 64 appearances.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Team struggles to provide support
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Luukkonen stopped 17 of 20 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Wild on Saturday. The fourth goal was an empty-netter
Luukkonen has been at the mercy of defensive breakdowns by the Sabres, a squad struggling with a 27-35-6 record. The team is 3-7-1 in its past 11, and UPL was between the pipes for all three victories. He's solid, but this situation is horrible for netminders, and Luukkonen will be left holding the proverbial bag most nights. Fantasy managers will likely need to pick another netminder as the season ends -- he's too risky for poolies at this stage.
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Sabres' JJ Peterka: 12 points in last 11 games
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Peterka scored Buffalo's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.
Peterka snapped Filip Gustavsson's shutout bid at 6:48 of the third period when he wired a wrist shot from the right hash marks off the rush. He has a goal in two straight games after missing three due to an injury and has earned at least one point in nine of his last 11 outings. Peteraka has six goals, six assists and 28 shots in that span.
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Sabres' Jack Quinn: Scratched for disciplinary reasons
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Quinn was kept out of Saturday's 4-1 loss to Minnesota for disciplinary reasons, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Quinn missed the team's morning meeting. The 23-year-old will presumably draw back into the lineup Sunday in Winnipeg, especially after Sam Lafferty suffered a groin injury in Saturday's defeat. Buffalo's only other healthy forward is Brett Murray. The 23-year-old Quinn has 10 goals and 26 points in 60 outings in 2024-25.
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Sabres' Sam Lafferty: Suffers groin injury
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Lafferty sustained a groin injury during Saturday's 4-1 loss to Minnesota.
Lafferty had a shot and two hits in 7:33 of ice time Saturday. Coach Lindy Ruff said there's a good chance Lafferty won't play Sunday versus Winnipeg. If that's the case, then Lafferty's next opportunity to return would be Tuesday versus Ottawa.
Benson (illness) will play Saturday against Minnesota, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Benson will be back in the lineup after he was sidelined in Buffalo's last game Thursday. The 19-year-old winger has 10 goals and 23 points in 60 games this season.
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Sabres' Jiri Kulich: Still sidelined
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Kulich (concussion) will not play Saturday against the Wild, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
It'll be the third game Kulich has missed since suffering a concussion last weekend. The 20-year-old center has 12 goals and 19 points this season.
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Sabres' Josh Norris: Not playing Saturday
Rotowire
Norris (undisclosed) won't be an option for Saturday's matchup against Minnesota, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Norris will miss his fourth straight game, and it's unlikely he will be ready for Sunday's contest against Winnipeg because he hasn't been practicing. He has produced 21 goals and 35 points in 56 appearances this season between Buffalo and Ottawa.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting in Minnesota
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Luukkonen will guard the road net Saturday against the Wild, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Luukkonen's won three of his last four starts despite posting an .863 save percentage in that span. Overall, he's 23-21-4 with an .888 save percentage and a 3.16 GAA this campaign. Minnesota has 2.72 goals per game in 2024-25, tied for 24th in the league.
Zucker logged a power-play assist, five shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Zucker has a pair of power-play points, 13 shots on net and eight hits over five contests since returning from a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old winger has taken on a second-line role lately, though he's also part of the Sabres' top power-play unit. For the season, Zucker has 46 points (18 on the power play), 112 shots on net, 60 hits, 55 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 59 appearances as one of the steadiest forwards in Buffalo's lineup.
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Sabres' Tage Thompson: Nabs power-play helper
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Thompson logged a power-play assist, three shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Thompson has six goals and three assists over 10 outings in March, with this being his second power-play point of the month. The 27-year-old has reached the 60-point mark in just 61 appearances, a much better performance than his 56-point effort over 71 games a year ago. Thompson has 34 goals, 26 helpers, 14 power-play points, 195 shots on net, 63 hits and a plus-1 rating in 2024-25.
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Sabres' Ryan McLeod: Extends point streak to five games
Rotowire
McLeod scored a shorthanded goal on three shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
McLeod has two goals and three helpers during his five-game point streak. He stole the puck and scored on a shorthanded breakaway early in the third period of this contest to keep the streak going. The 25-year-old is up to 16 goals, 38 points, 74 shots on net and a plus-9 rating over 64 appearances. He's seen time in all situations, though just three of his points (two shorthanded goals, one power-play assist) have come on special teams.
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Sabres' JJ Peterka: Strikes on power play in return
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Peterka scored a power-play goal on six shots and went minus-3 in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Peterka missed three games due to a lower-body injury. He made an early impact in his return, scoring his 20th goal of the campaign late in the first period to tie the score at 1-1. The 23-year-old winger immediately slotted back onto the top line, though the Sabres are running thin at forward with all of Josh Norris (undisclosed), Jiri Kulich (concussion) and Zach Benson (illness) missing Thursday's game. Peterka now has 20 goals, 52 points, 142 shots on net and a minus-4 rating over 62 appearances. It's a career year in points for Peterka, but he's down from last year's 28-goal total, in large part due to a drastically reduced shot volume, which has dropped by nearly half a shot per game.
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Sabres' James Reimer: Does fine in loss
Rotowire
Reimer stopped 27 of 30 shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Utah. The last two goals were empty-netters.
Reimer hadn't played since March 3 versus the Canadiens, so this game was as much about shaking off the rust for him ahead of this weekend's back-to-back as it was about resting Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Reimer put in a fine effort but still took his third straight loss (0-2-1) in the outing. He's now at 2-8-2 with a 3.00 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 14 appearances between the Sabres and the Ducks in 2024-25. Look for Luukkonen and Reimer to split the back-to-back as the Sabres face the Wild on Saturday and the Jets on Sunday.
Norris (undisclosed) isn't available for Thursday's clash against Utah, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Norris is set to miss his third straight game. He has 21 goals and 35 points in 56 appearances in 2024-25. When Norris is healthy, he should serve in a top-six capacity.
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Sabres' Jiri Kulich: Remains out Thursday
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Kulich (concussion) isn't expected to play Thursday in Utah, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Kulich will miss his second straight game while in the concussion protocol. He has 12 goals and 19 points in 49 appearances in 2024-25. His next chance to return will come Saturday in Minnesota.
