The Buffalo Sabres visit the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Thursday, Nov. 12, with faceoff scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern. MSG-B will carry Buffalo’s broadcast, while CHSN is listed for Chicago, according to the NHL’s official matchup information.
The trip to Chicago comes one night after Buffalo’s 8-3 home loss to Tampa Bay. Thursday’s matchup is the second game on consecutive nights for the Sabres, who are 8-7-3 in the updated NHL statistics. Chicago is listed at 4-13-1.
Buffalo faces a quick turnaround
The Sabres cut a 4-0 deficit to 4-3 against the Lightning on Wednesday at KeyBank Center before Tampa Bay scored four consecutive goals to finish the game, according to the NHL’s official final report.
Josh Doan, Jason Zucker and Tage Thompson scored for Buffalo. Thompson’s goal came 33 seconds into the third period, but Nikita Kucherov answered with a third-period hat trick. The Sabres outshot the Lightning 31-22.
Buffalo now turns to Chicago, with the NHL schedule placing Thursday’s road game immediately after Wednesday’s home matchup.
Thompson and Benson lead Buffalo’s recent production
Thompson leads the Sabres with 11 goals and 20 points through 18 games in the updated NHL statistics. He also has a team-high 73 shots and two power-play goals.
The NHL’s last-five-games comparison lists Thompson with five points, including three goals. Zach Benson leads Buffalo in assists over that span with four.
Benson has 13 assists and 15 points through 18 games overall. Buffalo’s season statistics also list Jack Quinn with nine goals and 17 points, giving the Sabres another productive scoring option alongside Thompson.
Bedard and Kantserov provide Chicago’s scoring threats
Connor Bedard has seven points over Chicago’s last five games in the NHL comparison, including five assists. His season line stands at five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 12 appearances.
Roman Kantserov leads Chicago’s last-five-games goal comparison with four. He has nine goals and 11 points through 18 games overall, including two power-play goals.
Goaltending numbers ahead of Thursday
The updated NHL statistics list Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a 5-4-3 record, a 3.51 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage in 12 appearances. Colten Ellis has a 3-3-0 record, a 3.39 goals-against average, an .873 save percentage and one shutout in eight appearances.
Chicago’s Spencer Knight is listed at 4-10-0 with a 3.66 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage in 14 appearances. The official matchup information does not identify either team’s starting goalie for Thursday.
Fans can follow the matchup through the NHL’s gamecenter. All game times above are Eastern.
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