The Buffalo Sabres will face the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, Apr. 13 at United Center as they look to secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. With only two regular season games left, the Sabres need two more points to guarantee playing their opening playoff series at home and three points to win the Atlantic Division title.
This matchup is significant as it marks a return to postseason play for Buffalo, with coach Lindy Ruff emphasizing focus ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin this weekend. “We’ve talked about where we wanted to be, and this is where we want to be,” Ruff said. “We know hard it’s been, and we know how hard it’s going to continue to be. It’s not taking anything for granted. We’ve love to win these last two games. We focus in on Chicago and go from there.”
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start in net after recording nine wins and a .937 save percentage over his last 13 road appearances. The only lineup change from Thursday’s game against Columbus sees Conor Timmins replacing Zach Metsa on defense; Timmins has contributed two assists and a plus-three rating since returning from injury.
Regardless of Monday’s result, Buffalo (23-13-4) will finish with its fifth-best road record in franchise history. A victory would also give them their fifth winning streak of four or more games this season—matching their total from the previous three seasons combined—and extend their strong performance against Western Conference teams.
Chicago enters the contest having struggled late in the season with a 9-17-7 record over its last 35 games, ensuring another last-place finish in its division. The Blackhawks are led by Connor Bedard, who has posted a career-high 73 points despite missing time due to injury, while rookie Anton Frondell has added nine points since being called up.
The Sabres have had recent success against Chicago, carrying a five-game winning streak and nine-game point streak into Monday’s meeting.
