The Buffalo Sabres will be without Tage Thompson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as they host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. Those are two big hits to Buffalo’s lineup, and the Sabres will have to find a different way to win without their star center and starting goalie. The Blues are missing their top center, Robert Thomas, who is out long-term with an ankle injury.
Both Sabres players left Monday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens early and did not return. Thompson has a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. Luukkonen suffered an ailment in Sunday’s practice that lingered throughout the game the next day. He is also day-to-day.
Mattias Samuelsson also did not return to the game against Montreal due to a lower-body injury. His recovery is longer, deemed week-to-week by head coach Lindy Ruff and the medical staff.
Where to Watch
Gametime: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)
TV: N/A
Stream: ESPN+; HULU
Radio: WGR550
Sabres Gameday
With Thompson absent from practice on Wednesday, Ruff shuffled the forward lines. Ryan McLeod was promoted to the top line with Alex Tuch. Dylan Cozens remained in his usual center spot next to Jack Quinn. Peyton Krebs was centering Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker on the third line, and the Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel fourth line was reunited.
Zach Benson and JJ Peterka also swapped spots on the left wing, putting the “kid line” back together with Peterka, Cozens, and Quinn. Benson had lifted Buffalo’s second line since returning from injury, and the Sabres will hope he can fill some of the scoring void on the top line.
Devon Levi worked in the starter’s net during the optional morning skate, making him today’s likely starter. James Reimer, reacquired Wednesday on waivers from the Anaheim Ducks, will serve as the backup.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are on a three-game losing streak, including winning only three of their last ten games. They’ve struggled on special teams, with a powerplay percentage worse than Buffalo’s at only 15%. Their penalty kill isn’t much better, ranking 21st in the NHL.
Unlike the Sabres, the biggest problem for the Blues has been their goal-scoring. The Blues are averaging only 2.5 goals per game, which is 26th in the league. Missing Thomas is a big part of that low number, as well as some slumping top-six forwards.
Brayden Schenn, Brandon Saad, and Jake Neighbors have only six points a piece. The offense has been carried by Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich, with 14 and 10 points in 16 games, respectively.
Injury Report
Buffalo Sabres
- Tage Thompson (Lower Body) Day-to-day
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Undisclosed) Day-to-day
- Mattias Samuelsson (Lower Body) Week-to-week
St. Louis Blues
- Nick Leddy (Lower Body) Out [IR]
- Philip Broberg (Lower Body) Out [IR]
- Robert Thomas (Ankle) Out [IR]
- Torey Krug (Ankle) Out [IR]
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards (Projected)
Zach Benson – Ryan McLeod – Alex Tuch
JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway – Peyton Krebs – Jason Zucker
Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Defense (Projected)
Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Jacob Bryson
Dennis Gilbert – Connor Clifton
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The Buffalo Sabres will be without Tage Thompson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as they host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. Those are two big hits to Buffalo’s lineup, and the Sabres will have to find a different way to win without their star center and starting goalie. The Blues are missing their top center, Robert Thomas, who is out long-term with an ankle injury.
Both Sabres players left Monday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens early and did not return. Thompson has a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. Luukkonen suffered an ailment in Sunday’s practice that lingered throughout the game the next day. He is also day-to-day.
Mattias Samuelsson also did not return to the game against Montreal due to a lower-body injury. His recovery is longer, deemed week-to-week by head coach Lindy Ruff and the medical staff.
More: Video of Tage Thompson Injury
Where to Watch
Gametime: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)
TV: N/A
Stream: ESPN+; HULU
Radio: WGR550
Sabres Gameday
With Thompson absent from practice on Wednesday, Ruff shuffled the forward lines. Ryan McLeod was promoted to the top line with Alex Tuch. Dylan Cozens remained in his usual center spot next to Jack Quinn. Peyton Krebs was centering Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker on the third line, and the Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel fourth line was reunited.
Zach Benson and JJ Peterka also swapped spots on the left wing, putting the “kid line” back together with Peterka, Cozens, and Quinn. Benson had lifted Buffalo’s second line since returning from injury, and the Sabres will hope he can fill some of the scoring void on the top line.
Devon Levi worked in the starter’s net during the optional morning skate, making him today’s likely starter. James Reimer, reacquired Wednesday on waivers from the Anaheim Ducks, will serve as the backup.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are on a three-game losing streak, including winning only three of their last ten games. They’ve struggled on special teams, with a powerplay percentage worse than Buffalo’s at only 15%. Their penalty kill isn’t much better, ranking 21st in the NHL.
Unlike the Sabres, the biggest problem for the Blues has been their goal-scoring. The Blues are averaging only 2.5 goals per game, which is 26th in the league. Missing Thomas is a big part of that low number, as well as some slumping top-six forwards.
Brayden Schenn, Brandon Saad, and Jake Neighbors have only six points a piece. The offense has been carried by Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich, with 14 and 10 points in 16 games, respectively.
Injury Report
Buffalo Sabres
- Tage Thompson (Lower Body) Day-to-day
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Undisclosed) Day-to-day
- Mattias Samuelsson (Lower Body) Week-to-week
St. Louis Blues
- Nick Leddy (Lower Body) Out [IR]
- Philip Broberg (Lower Body) Out [IR]
- Robert Thomas (Ankle) Out [IR]
- Torey Krug (Ankle) Out [IR]
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards (Projected)
Zach Benson – Ryan McLeod – Alex Tuch
JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway – Peyton Krebs – Jason Zucker
Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Defense (Projected)
Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Jacob Bryson
Dennis Gilbert – Connor Clifton
Devon Levi
St. Louis Blues
Forwards (Projected)
Jake Neighbors – Pavel Buchnevich – Jordan Kyrou
Dylan Holloway – Brayden Schenn – Mathieu Joseph
Brandon Saad – Oskar Sundqvist – Kasperi Kapanen
Alexey Toropchenko – Radek Faksa – Nathan Walker
Defense (Projected)
Ryan Suter – Colton Parayko
Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Justin Faulk
Scott Perunovich – Matthew Kessel
Goalie (Projected)
Jordan Binnington
Source: Matthew DeFranks, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Betting Breakdown
The Sabres are slight home favorites over the Blues according to the PuckLuck model. The sportsbooks currently favor Buffalo much more heavily, putting them at an implied 63% win probability.
Without Thompson, the logic and talent level don’t meet the lofty odds, making the Blues a huge value at the time of publishing this. Maybe the sportsbooks are slow to update the news, but taking St. Louis to win outright at around +140 is a steal.
The Sabres, of course, are still more likely to win, but playing percentages is the best way to line your pockets.
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For more betting analysis across the NHL, 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.*
