Sunday afternoons in Western New York during the fall are usually dedicated to the Buffalo Bills, but with them playing on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, it will be the Buffalo Sabres who take center stage with a 3:30 puck drop. They will be taking on a familiar face in Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Buffalo Sabres are entering this game with a little momentum as they are coming off arguably their most dominant performance of the season after a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are entering the final game of a five-game road trip and have won their last two games.
This will be the third game this season that the Sabres are playing in the afternoon, and after winning their first two, they will be looking to make it three against Vegas. These are a few storylines to watch for heading into this matchup.
Buffalo Sabres looking for their fourth straight win over Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
There is no question that Jack Eichel has had a ton of success after being traded by the Buffalo Sabres early in the 2021-22 season. He has gone to the Stanley Cup Final twice and won once. Eichel has also played well against his former team and, in seven games, has six goals and three assists.
However, in the last three meetings, the Sabres have walked away with the two points at the end of the game. This streak started in the 2024-25 season when the Sabres secured a shootout win over the Golden Knights. Last season, the Sabres won 3-2 over Vegas before securing a shutout win a few weeks later.
The rivalry may have lost a little of the excitement with the trade being about six years ago but it is going to be a talking point for as long as Eichel is in the NHL.
Can Zach Benson continue his point streak and push it to seven games?
The Buffalo Sabres have gotten some great individual performances as of late, from players like Tage Thompson, Jack Quinn, and Owen Power. However, there may not be a player on the Sabres playing the most consistent hockey right now than Zach Benson.
Benson hasn't been able to get the scoring going with only two goals on the season but is finding other ways to impact the game. Entering this game, he is currently leading the Sabres in assists with 13 and has a six-game point streak.
It feels like it doesn't matter who Benson is playing with, as he is going to make the players around him better. Early in the season, it was Jack Quinn and Noah Ostlund, but recently it has been Thompson and Peyton Krebs.
In this game, the Sabres are going to need all their top players to be playing their best and that definitely includes Zach Benson.
Buffalo Sabres penalty kill will be tested by the Vegas Golden Knights
When looking ahead to this matchup, there is one clear area where the Golden Knights have the advantage and that is when they are on the power play. Entering this game, the Vegas Golden Knights have the seventh-best power-play percentage in the NHL at 27.8%, while the Sabres have the 27th best penalty kill percentage at only 69.6%.
If there is a positive for the Sabres, it is that their penalty kill did well against the Columbus Blue Jackets, even though they did give up one power-play goal. The goal came late in the game, with the Sabres already up 5-1.
The question will be whether the improved penalty kill was due to the return of Conor Timmins, who made his season debut, or if they were just up against a weaker power play unit as the Blue Jackets are currently 25th in the league in power play percentage.
The best way the Sabres can ensure this is not a factor is to limit the penalties they are called for. The fewer power play chances the Golden Knights have the less likely this impacts the outcome of the game.
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