Vegas brings the stronger record and shot profile to Buffalo, where the Sabres’ recent form and Tage Thompson’s scoring will be tested.
Sunday’s KeyBank Center meeting pits Vegas’s 11-5-2 record and No. 8 power-index ranking against Buffalo’s 8-5-3 mark and No. 18 rating; the Golden Knights lead 24-19 in points despite playing two more games. Buffalo has won four of its last five, while Vegas has taken three of five and carries a two-game winning streak. The key matchup is whether Tage Thompson, Buffalo’s points leader with 16 in 14 games, can keep pace with Vegas’s Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Mitch Marner, who have 17 points apiece. Vegas also holds the edge in shots-per-game differential, +3.0 to Buffalo’s +1.2, and team save percentage, .896 to .881. Buffalo needs Thompson’s offense and timely saves to blunt that advantage and turn its recent form into a meaningful home test.