2025-26 Regular Season, Game 50 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes completed a perfect weekend with a victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night in Newark. Frederik Andersen and Jacob Markstrom held their opponents scoreless for most of the opening 40 minutes, but the Canes finally broke through late in the second. Andrei Svechnikov forced an errant pass from Luke Hughes. Sebastian Aho picked it off and dropped it for Svechnikov to snap under Markstrom's glove. Svechnikov struck again 57 seconds later. This one should've been stopped, as Svechnikov's shot trickled through Markstrom's pads. The Devils got within a goal on the power play early in the third, but they wouldn't draw closer. Jackson Blake restored the two-goal advantage during a delayed penalty, finishing a beautiful pass from Nikolaj Ehlers. To close the scoring, Svechnikov completed his hat trick. Seth Jarvis forced another turnover, and Aho made another good pass to Svechnikov, who threw it past Markstrom a third time to complete his fourth hat trick. Andersen made 29 stops, playing one of his best games of the season, in a 4-1 win.

Injury Report
William Carrier: He hasn't played since January 10, though he skated with the team before the Florida game, so he might be close to returning. 
Shayne Gostisbehere: He also didn't play this weekend despite practicing on Thursday before the back-to-back.

The Opponent: Buffalo Sabres (26-16-5, 57 Points; 5th in the Atlantic Division)
Last Meeting: It has been almost two months since the teams played, meeting in Buffalo for a Sunday matinee on November 23. The teams traded power-play goals in the first period, with Alex Tuch scoring early for the Sabres, and Shayne Gostisbehere countering for the Canes. Buffalo took the game over in the second. Jack Quinn earned the Sabres the lead once more, striking early in the frame. Beck Malenstyn doubled the lead with a pretty goal with 1:24 left. Tage Thompson finished the job into the empty net, finishing a 4-1 victory for the Sabres. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen made 29 stops to stymie the Canes' offense.

Since We Last Met: If the Sabres make the playoffs, we'll tell future generations about the run that the team went on in December to put themselves back into playoff contention after years of futility. The Sabres won their final 10 games of 2025, and they are 15-2-1 since December 9, sporting the league's best record during that time and working their way into the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. They've received spectacular performances from the entire lineup. 10 players have at least 10 points, led by Tage Thompson's 12 goals and 27 points. Both goalies have been outstanding. Alex Lyon has won his last seven decisions with a .919 save percentage and a 2.22 GAA. Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen is 6-1-1 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.50 GAA. As a team, they've allowed 2.5 goals per game, tied for the second fewest. Today marks the first of a five-game road trip for the Sabres, who'll be in Nashville tomorrow. 

Stories to Watch
1. Starting on time for the matinee
Today is the third and final matinee game of the season for the Hurricanes. In their first two, the Canes have played a pair of their weakest games in losses to the Bruins and these Sabres in November. With this game, the Canes must find a way to start on time. Both teams are feeling themselves at the moment, so this Sabres team won't go down easily. It'll be up to the Canes to carry their momentum from this weekend into the game. 

2. 11th game in 19 days
The Hurricanes have played a lot of hockey to this point in January, with today being their 11th game of the month. Things get a lot lighter for the team after this game. They only play four more times for the remainder of the month. This includes a two-day break between now and Chicago on Thursday. This means the team should be able to empty the tank, knowing they'll have a little extra time to rest with the earlier start time.

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