2024-25 Regular Season, Game 59 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres

There wasn't much to the good for the Hurricanes on Tuesday night in Montreal. They failed to find the scoreboard, being shut out 4-0 by Samuel Montembeault and the Canadiens. Nick Suzuki and Patrik Laine had a goal and two assists each to pace the Habs offense, while Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson added the other goals. The Canes hit a pair of posts on the power play and that's as close as they would get. It was another disappointing game in which the Canes failed to generate much offense for 60 minutes. It's in the running for the most frustrating performance of the season.

The Opponent: Buffalo Sabres (24-27-5, 53 Points- 8th in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: The Hurricanes were in Buffalo on January 15th to meet the Sabres for the first time this season. The Sabres led 3-0 after 40 minutes behind a pair of goals from Ryan McLeod and a Dylan Cozens marker. The Canes tried to claw their way back into the game, getting an early Jaccob Slavin goal and a late Martin Necas tally to pull within a goal with 3:10 left. McLeod never put the puck in the net, but he was rewarded with his hat-trick goal after having his stick slashed with the empty net to help ice the game for the Sabres. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 stops in the 4-2 win for the Sabres. 

Since We Last Met: The win against the Canes was a lone bright spot over the next five games for the Sabres, who proceeded to win just once in their next handful of games while being outscored 21-13. However, things have started swinging in the right direction for Buffalo. They've won six of their last seven games, carried by an offense that can't stop scoring. This includes a seven-goal game against Boston a little under a month ago and eight goals against the Rangers right after the break. Rasmus Dahlin has 12 points during this stretch, while Tage Thompson is right behind him with 11. Thompson continues to pace the Sabres with 28 goals and 51 points and Dahlin has 46. Their defense is still a little porous, sitting in the Bottom 10 in goals allowed. They remain the only team in the Eastern Conference outside of the playoff hunt, but this recent stretch has been a step in the right direction.

Stories of the Night
1. Throwback Thursday
The Hurricanes will honor their heritage tonight by donning the Whalers colors and (hopefully) playing Brass Bonanza after every goal. It's always an exciting night and it might just be what the team needs. The Canes have earned points in all eight games in which they've re-branded for the night, going 5-0-3 since 2018-19. Last season's bout was particularly entertaining, ending with a Sebastian Aho OT winner in a 1-0 win over the Devils. 

2. A Merciful End to February
For the month with the fewest days and games in it, February has been cruel to the Hurricanes. It has turned this game into a must-win for the home team. The Canes enter tonight's contest just 1-5-0 this month, with their pre-break win against Utah serving as the lone bright spot in an otherwise bleak 28 days. Nothing has gone right. They've been shut out twice, including Tuesday in Montreal. More than half of their 13 goals came in the win over Utah, leaving just six goals during the five losses. No one is having a good time. Not the players. Not the coaches. Not the fans. It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad month.

3. Home Cooking
Thursday night begins a three-game homestand and a stretch of seven home games in their next eight. As their struggles on the road continue to haunt them, it'll be nice to see them in front of friendlier crowds. That being said, this stretch of games isn't going to be easy. Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, Edmonton, and Detroit are in playoff spots, while Calgary and Boston are fighting to make it. While the home cooking should be nice, it's not going to be a lot of fun.

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