The Utah Mammoth are coming to town on Tuesday to play the Buffalo Sabres, and the Mammoth are playing some of the best hockey around the league. Even with losing their last two games, they are 7-3 over their past 10 and tied for fifth in the league in goal differential at +8.
While the Sabres have been good at home, with a 5-2-1 record, this is shaping up to be a tough matchup for them. They have already been dealing with multiple injuries and appear likely to be without Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich, who were considered doubtful for this game.
If the Sabres are going to win this game, they are going to need big performances from some of their top stars, along with a few other players who have gotten off to great starts this season.
4 Buffalo Sabres to watch against the Utah Mammoth
Rasmus Dahlin
There isn't another player on the Buffalo Sabres who can impact the game, end-to-end, and in almost every situation. Rasmus Dahlin is their best defenseman, a threat in the offensive zone, and a big part of their power play when he is at his best.
The challenge is that Dahlin hasn't been at his best to begin the season with only one goal and a +/- of -8. He appeared to turn a corner against the Boston Bruins with his second multi-point game of the season, but then had an ugly turnover in overtime that cost Buffalo the game.
If Dahlin can put together one of those elite performances he is certainly capable of, it will drastically boost the Buffalo Sabres' chances to secure the win.
Tage Thompson
Tage Thompson is another player who got off to a slow start for the Buffalo Sabres but has been playing much better as of late, with six points in the past five games. The Sabres don't have a better shooter than Thompson, and it would be surprising if Buffalo won this game and Tage Thompson didn't have at least one goal.
The biggest challenge for Thompson is that he is going to have to do it almost all himself and do it from center. For most of the season, he has been on the wing, but without Josh Norris, Zach Benson, and potentially Kulich, it will likely leave him with Jordan Greenway and maybe Jack Quinn.
The Mammoth is going to have a ton of attention dedicated to Thompson so it won't be easy. However, he is good enough to work through these and make some big plays for Buffalo.
Alex Tuch
While it may be considered the 'second' line for the Buffalo Sabres, there is no question that Josh Doan-Ryan McLeod-Alex Tuch have been their best this season. This group has delivered on a consistent basis with an xGoal% of 61.9% and a team-leading xGoal of 6, which is 2.5 more than the next line on the Sabres of Benson-Kulich-Thompson.
Tuch has been a big part of their success, and he is currently leading the team in points with 12, and leads the team in goals (4) and assists (7) in 5v5. The Sabres are going to probably do everything they can to keep this line unchanged, and if they do, this group has to deliver with Tuch leading the way.
Josh Doan
The final player is another on that line in Josh Doan, but he is on this list because of what he does when the Sabres are on the power play. He has been a big part of their success and is tied for the team lead in power-play goals with two, while also adding a power-play assist.
The Mammoth have been good in a lot of areas, but penalty kill hasn't really been one of them and they currently rank 22nd in penalty kill percentage at 75%. If there is one area that can keep this game close is if the Sabres can capitalize on the man advantage with Doan leading the way.