Sabres at Blue Jackets | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

The Buffalo Sabres carry a five-game winning streak, their longest in more than two years, into Columbus for a Thursday night matchup with the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Buffalo most recently beat Carolina 3-0 on Tuesday at KeyBank Center, earning its seventh straight victory on home ice. Despite being officially eliminated from playoff contention, the Sabres still feel they have plenty to play for as they begin their final road trip of the season, and their 11-4-0 record over the last month indicates as much.

“I’m disappointed where we’re at, and we can’t do anything about that,” said coach Lindy Ruff. “But we can work on our game, and we’re gonna continue to work on our game until it’s over.”

Ruff feels his coaching points have begun sinking in and translating to on-ice results as the season has progressed. So, too, have messages from team leadership – Ruff mentioned captain Rasmus Dahlin and 44-goal scorer Tage Thompson – regarding puck management, shot blocking, discipline and more.

“We have a lot of young guys that (have) been learning this year, and finally, now, it’s clicking,” Dahlin said. “You can get your points with playing the right way, too, and that’s what we’re seeing right now.”

Five games remain to continue polishing that winning formula in preparation for the 2025-26 campaign.

Here’s what you need to know before puck drop at 7 p.m.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Lineup notes

The Sabres are expected to roll out the same lineup as in Tuesday's win, including another start in goal for James Reimer:

Storylines

1. Optimal time for Optimus Reim

Reimer’s first 11 games with the Sabres, from a Nov. 23 win at San Jose to a March 3 overtime loss at Montreal, spanned 101 days. He went 2-5-2 with a .903 save percentage during that stretch.

His eight most recent games have spanned just 20 days, but the sudden uptick in workload hasn’t fazed the 37-year-old. After losing March 20 in Utah, Reimer has built a seven-game winning streak – the best of his career – with a .925 save percentage. Six of those seven wins have come against playoff-bound clubs, including the league-leading Jets and Capitals.

“Unbelievable – he’s so calm in the net,” Dahlin said. “There’s no rebounds, really. It’s easy to play behind him. He talks a lot and he’s got a lot of experience. He’s an unbelievable goalie and he’s been helping (in) this good stretch we’ve had now; he’s probably the biggest part of it.”

That calmness, Reimer explained, has produced results in games like Tuesday’s, when he stopped 33 shots for his first shutout with the Sabres.

“If you can slow the game down, that’s when you see things better and you can see the plays and make reads,” he said. “… Just stay in the moment and trust that your body’s going to do what it needs to do to get in front of the [puck]."

2. Lindy 900

Scotty Bowman. Joel Quenneville. Paul Maurice. Barry Trotz. Lindy Ruff? With one more victory, he'll join those names as the fifth NHL coach to win 900 games.

Ruff “could care less” about No. 900; he’s only concerned with his team’s performance. In the locker room, however, the Sabres recognize their coach’s legendary resume behind the bench.

“That’s pretty cool,” said Alex Tuch. “I mean, he’s been at it a while and he’s had a lot of success in this league, so to be able to help him achieve that goal I think means the world to our group. It’s awesome, so hopefully we get it next game.”

3. Scouting the Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have gone 4-9-1 in the last month and trail Montreal by eight points for the second wild card spot.

Norris Trophy candidate Zach Werenski ranks second among NHL defensemen – and leads the team – with 75 points (20+55), but he’s cooled off with just seven assists in those 14 games. Forward Kirill Marchenko, wrapping up a career year with 70 points (31+39), has been held off the scoresheet in nine of 14.

Columbus as a team has scored just 2.43 goals per game since March 11 while allowing 4.00 per game.

The Sabres lost 6-4 at Nationwide Arena on Oct. 17, then beat the Blue Jackets 3-2 on Feb. 4 at home. Seven Columbus players totaled multiple points between those games, led by defenseman Ivan Provorov (1+2).

Game notes

• Thompson leads the NHL with 37 even-strength goals, including six during his active, career-best, five-game goal streak. He’s scored 11 goals in 12 career games versus Columbus.
• Thompson and Tuch have both scored 18 goals since Feb. 4, tied with Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead during that span.
• Ryan McLeod has 18 points (5+13) in his last 17 games.