Sabres vs. Stars: Projected Lines, Betting Odds, How to Watch & More 2/6/24

The Buffalo Sabres are back in action tonight as the Dallas Stars are in town. The Sabres (22-23-4) are coming off a strong January, as they look to climb back into the playoff race. The Stars (30-13-6) headed into the All-Star break on a three-game win streak, and will look to build on that run.

Must Read: Sabres Jump Sharks in San Jose

How to Watch

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

TV: MSG (Buffalo); BSSWX (Dallas)

Stream: MSG+; ESPN+ (Out of market)

Radio: WGR550

The Sabres

Head coach Don Granato deemed Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the “number one” goalie over the weekend, and he’s certainly earned it. Since January 1st, the Finnish netminder is fourth in the NHL in goals-saved above expected per game, trailing only Stuart Skinner, Jordan Binnington, and Jacob Markstrom.

In that same time, Luukkonen trails only Skinner in save percentage for goalies with more than three games played with a .944 save rate. He’s allowed 1.5 goals per game in that span, which has given the Sabres ample opportunity to string wins together.

Up front, all eyes will be on rookie forward Zach Benson, as Buffalo will need the 13th overall pick to step up in lieu of the injured Jack Quinn. Benson will get the initial run with the red hot JJ Peterka and Dylan Cozens in hopes of finding his scoring touch to complement his strong forecheck and defensive numbers.

Must Read: Sabres Options to Replace Jack Quinn After Injury

The Stars

The Stars entered the season with Stanley Cup aspirations, and have recently withstood star defenseman Miro Heiskanen’s injury to remain near the top of the Western Conference standings. They have a .696 point percentage on the road, so they should be ready to bring it with a now fully healthy lineup in downtown Buffalo tonight.

Forward Jason Robertson has been a thorn in Buffalo’s side ever since coming into the league. In four career games against the Sabres, he has three goals and seven points. Robertson also recorded two three-point game in his two career games at KeyBank Center.

Injury Report

Buffalo

• Jack Quinn (Lower Body) Out Eight Weeks
• Mattias Samuelsson (Upper Body) Out For Season

Dallas

• None

Buffalo Sabres

Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Kyle Okposo

Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka

Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Alex Tuch

Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Eric Robinson

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power – Connor Clifton

Ryan Johnson – Erik Johnson

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Confirmed)

Lineup Source: Lance Lysowski, The Buffalo News

Goalie Source: Lance Lysowski, The Buffalo News

Dallas Stars

Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Wyatt Johnston

Mason Marchment – Matt Duchene – Tyler Seguin

Jamie Benn – Sam Steel – Joe Pavelski

Evgeny Dadonov – Radek Faksa – Craig Smith

Thomas Harley – Miro Heiskanen

Esa Lindell – Jani Hakanpaa

Ryan Suter – Nils Lundkvist

Jake Oettinger (Confirmed)

Lineup Source: Saad Yousuf, The Athletic

Goalie Source: Joe Yerdon, Noted Hockey

Betting Odds Breakdown

With the sportsbooks currently implying about a 62% win probability for the Dallas Stars tonight, the edge is on betting against the Sabres at home. The PuckLuck model is a little higher on the Stars than the consensus, with a fully healthy lineup and All-Star goalie Jake Oettinger in net.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how Buffalo can respond to the injuries to a couple key contributors in Quinn and Mattias Samuelsson, as they’ll need others to step up and fill their roles at both even-strength and special teams.

Injury Report: Samuelsson Done for Season; Girgensons, Johnson Set to Return 

With Oettinger and Luukkonen both going tonight, there’s also a slight edge on the under. If the total remains set at 6.5 goals and you wish to bet it, that’s the more likely direction to lean.

For more betting analysis across the NHL, be sure to head over to PuckLuck.com.

*PuckLuck.com provides data related to gambling and cannot guarantee the success of any suggested or related wagers. Please gamble responsibly.*