The stakes are sky-high tonight: The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning meet at KeyBank Center at 6 p.m., with the two teams tied atop the Atlantic Division at 82 points (though Tampa has two games in hand). The winner of this game will gain sole possession of first place—at least for a day. This is the kind of late-season hockey fans dream about.
The Sabres come in hot. Buffalo enters on a six-game winning streak and sits 7-2-1 over their last 10, while also sitting 19-8-3 at home. They've already proved they can beat Tampa—the Sabres beat Tampa Bay 6-2 on February 28, and the season series is tied 1-1 heading into this third meeting. That dominant road victory saw Josh Norris score twice, while Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and two assists.
The Lightning, meanwhile, are coming off a 5-2 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. They've made some lineup adjustments since their last meeting with Buffalo, including deadline acquisition Corey Perry adding experience and physicality. But injuries are a concern: Gage Goncalves (undisclosed), Dominic James (lower body), Nick Paul (lower body), and Max Crozier (core muscle) are all sidelined.
Jonas Johansson is expected to start for Tampa after Vasilevskiy made 27 saves in Toronto, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the only expected change for Buffalo from their 3-2 win against Nashville. That matchup between two hot goalies could decide everything. Luukkonen has been particularly sharp—he's won 10 of his last 13 starts, matching the best 13-game stretch of his career.
Puck drops at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+. This is playoff hockey in March, and both teams know what's on the line. If you're looking for other sports action happening today, there's plenty to keep you busy—but this one's unmissable for hockey fans.