The Buffalo Sabres take on the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center tonight. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.
SABRES (20-14-4) at STARS (25-7-7)
8 p.m. ET; Victory+, MSG-B
Sabres projected lineup
Peyton Krebs — Tage Thompson — Josh Doan
Noah Ostlund — Josh Norris — Alex Tuch
Zach Benson — Ryan McLeod — Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway — Josh Dunne — Beck Malenstyn
Mattias Samuelsson — Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power — Michael Kesselring
Bowen Byram — Zach Metsa
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
Scratched: Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson
Injured: Tyson Kozak (upper body), Conor Timmins (broken leg), Jason Zucker (upper and lower body), Jiri Kulich (blood clot), Justin Danforth (lower body), Alex Lyon (lower body)
Status report
The Sabres held an optional morning skate Wednesday. … Lyon has returned to Buffalo for further examination after being injured late in a 4-2 win at the St. Louis Blues on Monday; the goalie did not practice Tuesday and there is no timeline for his return. … Ellis is expected to be activated from injured reserve Wednesday to back up Luukkonen; Ellis has not played since sustaining a concussion Dec. 9.
Latest for THW:
- Sabres Candidates for the 2026 Winter Olympics
- NHL Morning Recap – December 30, 2025
- Sabres Beat Blues to Win 9th-Straight Game
Stars projected lineup
Sam Steel — Wyatt Johnston — Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Mavrik Bourque
Justin Hryckowian — Matt Duchene — Jamie Benn
Oskar Back — Radek Faksa — Colin Blackwell
Esa Lindell — Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley — Nils Lundkvist
Ilya Lyubushkin — Alexander Petrovic
Casey DeSmith
Jake Oettinger
Scratched: Kyle Capobianco, Adam Erne
Injured: Tyler Seguin (ACL), Lian Bichsel (lower body)
Status report
Nathan Bastian was assigned to Texas of the American Hockey League on Tuesday on a conditioning assignment. … Lyubushkin returns to the lineup after missing a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday because of an illness.
Latest for THW:
- Team USA Leaving Stars’ Jason Robertson Off Olympic Roster Would Be a Massive Mistake
- Dallas Stars’ 2026 New Year’s Resolutions
- Stars Weekly: Dominant December, Mikko Rantanen, Power Play Success, & PWHL Takeover
