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Kozak (undisclosed) wasn't in line rushes ahead of Sunday's contest against the Lightning and won't play, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.
Kozak will miss a third consecutive game with an undisclosed injury. The 23-year-old has two goals and two assists, 98 hits and 33 blocked shots on the season while averaging 11:21 of ice time per night. His next chance at a return will be Tuesday against the Sharks.
Luukkonen will protect the home net against Tampa Bay on Sunday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Luukkonen will get the second half of Buffalo's back-to-back after Alex Lyon played in Saturday's 3-2 win over Nashville. The 26-year-old Luukkonen has stopped 90 of the 94 shots he has faced during his three-game winning streak. He has a 14-7-2 record this campaign with a 2.55 GAA and a .910 save percentage across 24 appearances. Tampa Bay sits fifth in the league with 3.48 goals per game this season.
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Sabres' Josh Doan: Gets game-winner Saturday
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Doan scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Predators.
Doan ended a six-game goal drought with his third-period tally, which was the game-winner. The 24-year-old is up to 19 goals, 42 points, 135 shots on net, 61 hits and a minus-5 rating through 63 appearances. Doan continues to thrive in a middle-six role, giving the Sabres key depth scoring as they compete for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
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Sabres' Jason Zucker: Pots go-ahead goal
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Zucker scored a goal on five shots in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Predators.
Zucker has two goals over his last three games. The 34-year-old winger is still on the second line, but he has been under 15 minutes of ice time in his last four contests, and that's with a spot on the top power-play unit still to his name. For the season, Zucker has 17 goals, 31 points, 92 shots on net, 40 hits and a minus-7 rating over 44 appearances.
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Sabres' Tage Thompson: Point streak hits 10 games
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Thompson scored a goal on four shots and added two hits in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Predators.
Thompson has six goals and five assists during his 10-game point streak. While that's not exactly explosive offense, he's doing his part to provide steady scoring from the top line for a team that's getting offense from everywhere. With the tally, Thompson has 34 goals, 66 points, 221 shots on net, 58 hits, 38 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 63 appearances this season.
Lyon made 23 saves in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Predators.
The 33-year-old netminder has been working in a timeshare with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen since the Olympic break, and the arrangement seems to be working well for Lyon -- he's won all three of his starts since the break, allowing exactly two goals in each. Since returning from a lower-body injury in late January, Lyon's gone 7-2-0 with a 2.25 GAA and .930 save percentage.
Kozak (undisclosed) isn't available for Saturday's game against Nashville, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.
Kozak is set to miss his second straight game. He's considered day-to-day, so the 23-year-old might be an option Sunday versus Tampa Bay. Kozak has two goals, four points, two PIM, 98 hits and 33 blocks in 39 appearances in 2025-26. Kozak could serve in a bottom-six capacity once he's ready to return.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Slated to face Nashville
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Lyon is expected to start at home against Nashville on Saturday, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.
Lyon has won his past two outings while turning aside 54 of 58 shots (.931 save percentage). He has a 16-8-3 record, 2.66 GAA and .914 save percentage in 29 appearances in 2025-26. Nashville is 5-6-4 while averaging 3.27 goals per game across its past 15 outings.
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Sabres' Zach Metsa: Up from AHL
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Metsa was recalled from AHL Rochester on Friday.
Metsa was briefly sent to the minors to maintain his eligibility for the AHL playoffs. He has two goals and four points in 31 outings with Buffalo in 2025-26.
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Sabres' Zach Metsa: Dropped to AHL
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Metsa was loaned to AHL Rochester on Friday.
Metsa has two goals, four points, 17 shots on net and 20 blocked shots in 31 NHL appearances this season. Buffalo bolstered its blue line ahead of the trade deadline by acquiring Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn from Winnipeg on Thursday. However, Metsa could get another look at the NHL level at some point before the end of the 2025-26 regular season.
Pearson was acquired by Buffalo from Winnipeg on Friday in exchange for a seventh-round pick, per Darren Dreger of TSN.
Pearson has seven goals, 13 points, 25 PIM, 49 shots, 68 hits and 26 blocks in 52 outings with Winnipeg in 2025-26. Buffalo will likely use Pearson primarily as a fourth-line option, but he also might find himself spending some time as a healthy scratch, especially during times when the Sabres' forward corps is relatively healthy.
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Sabres' Jiri Kulich: Season likely over
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Kulich (ear) has been improving but will likely miss the rest of the 2025-26 season, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports Friday.
Kulich has been out of action since Nov. 1 against the Capitals due to an issue related to fluid in his ears. It was determined later to be a blood clot. As a rookie in 2024-25, he notched 15 goals and nine assists in 62 games. He had three goals and five points in 12 appearances during the 2025-26 campaign. Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Friday that doctors are hopeful the issue will resolve in time for next season.
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Sabres' Mattias Samuelsson: Deposits empty-netter
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Samuelsson scored an empty-net goal, blocked three shots and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.
Samuelsson snapped a five-game point drought with the empty-netter. The 25-year-old defenseman has had an incredible campaign with 12 goals, 35 points, 89 shots on net, a plus-32 rating, 103 hits and 121 blocked shots. He's currently in a top-four role, but he would be the most likely player to see his ice time drop with the Sabres' acquisitions of Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn in a trade with the Jets on Thursday. That said, Samuelsson's success could help him keep his minutes while Stanley slots in on the third pairing once he gets into the lineup.
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Sabres' Ryan McLeod: Opens scoring with shortie
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McLeod scored a shorthanded goal, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.
McLeod had gone 14 contests without a goal, but he picked up 12 assists in that span. The 26-year-old's steady all-around play has kept him in a second-line role despite the lack of goals. For the season, he's produced 12 goals, 44 points (six on the power play, six shorthanded), 77 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a plus-23 rating. His career high of 53 points was set in 79 outings in 2024-25, and he could surpass that mark with a strong finish this year.
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Sabres' Alex Tuch: Nets shortie in win
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Tuch scored a shorthanded goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.
Tuch's point streak is up to four games (three goals, two assists). He's scored all three of those tallies on special teams (two on the power play, one shorthanded). The 29-year-old winger is up to 25 goals, 53 points, 150 shots on net, 64 hits, 69 blocked shots, 49 PIM and a plus-18 rating over 61 appearances in a top-six role this season.
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Sabres' Owen Power: Two-point effort Thursday
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Power produced an even-strength goal and a shorthanded assist in Thursday's 5-1 win over Pittsburgh.
Both points came in the second period as the Sabres broke open a 1-1 tie. Power has gotten onto the scoresheet in three straight games, and on the season he's delivered six goals, 21 points, 97 shots on net, 68 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 61 contests.
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