The Buffalo Sabres closed out 2025 on a high note as they took a 10-game win streak into the new year. The month of January is a pivotal one for this team, as it is the last full month before roughly a month off for the Olympics in February.
In January, the Sabres will have 15 games with almost an even split of home and away, with eight home games and seven road games, including a five-game road trip. On top of that, with playoffs very much a discussion for this team, they have five games against division rivals. These five games, with three against Montreal alone, will be important as the race for a playoff spot will tighten after the Olympic break.
When looking ahead to the upcoming month, these are some of the top storylines for the Buffalo Sabres.
How long will the Buffalo Sabres win streak go?
The biggest storyline for the Buffalo Sabres at this point of the season is their win streak, which currently sits at 10. The 4-1 win against the Dallas Stars on New Year's Eve tied the franchise record with three other teams, and they can own it outright with a win on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
One of the most impressive facts about this win streak is that they have won most of the games on the road. The Sabres were one of the worst road teams earlier this season, but have won seven out of 10 away from KeyBank Center.
If they can beat the Blue Jackets, they will have six of their next seven at home, where they have been very tough to beat. It will give them a great chance to extend that win streak, but they need to take it one game at a time to get to that homestand.
Where does Jason Zucker fit into the lines?
Jason Zucker suffered an injury against the Calgary Flames on December 8th and hasn't been able to return to the ice yet. However, it seems like he has been close, and the coaching staff might be struggling to figure out where to fit him back into the line.
The reason is the Sabres haven't lost a game since Zucker went out, and the team has found a lot of success with the forward lines they are utilizing. They made some bold choices, like putting Peyton Krebs on the top line, which has paid off in a big way.
Zucker has been travelling with the Sabres during this three-game road trip, which is seemingly an indication that he probably would be ready to play in one of these games. However, he has yet to be activated for the first two games.
It will be interesting to see if Zucker does return on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets and what changes Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff make to the lines.
Will the Sabres be able to reach an extension with Alex Tuch?
One of the big question marks going back to last summer was whether or not the Buffalo Sabres could reach a contract extension with Alex Tuch. The Sabres forward is currently in the final year of his contract, and it seems a resolution to this question will happen in January.
Recently, David Pagnotta was on the Daily Faceoff and provided an update on where those talks stand. He did say that new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and Tuch's representatives are set to really discuss a new contract in the early part of January.
Pagnotta noted that Tuch's expectation is that his next contract will have an AAV over $10 million, and that is not something former general manager Kevyn Adams was comfortable getting to. It will be interesting to see if Kekalainen's view is different.
The NHL insider went on to say that these next few weeks are going to be critical to see if they can get a deal done. If the Sabres get the indication that it won't be possible, then they will probably start to explore a trade.
The Sabres certainly don't want to disrupt their success but they seem prepared to move on from Alex Tuch to get at least something in return instead of letting him walk in free agency this summer with nothing in return.
Does Jarmo Kekalainen make his first trade as Buffalo Sabres general manager this month?
The Sabres officially made the change from Kevyn Adams to Jarmo Kekalainen on December 15th, and the wait is on for what that first trade he will make as the team's new general manager. Over the past few weeks, Kekalainen has appeared to focus on getting the front office in order.
That certainly makes sense, especially with a week the NHL was under a roster freeze, but January should pick up in activity as he makes changes to the roster. The first place he was expected to make a change was at goalie, as the team had three on the roster, but Alex Lyon's recent injury could put that on hold.
It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Buffalo Sabres are this month, ahead of the Olympics, and if they try to get deals done now instead of after the Olympics and ahead of the trade deadline on March 6th.