CHICAGO – The Buffalo Sabres conclude their three-game road trip against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Saturday.

The Sabres are 0-1-1 through the first two games of the trip. They lost a back-and-forth game in Pittsburgh in overtime on Wednesday, then fell 6-4 in Columbus the following night.

Alex Tuch looked ahead to the challenge of the Blackhawks following the loss in Columbus.

“It’s a different Chicago team than we’ve seen the last couple of years,” Tuch said. “They brought in a lot of vets. They’re going to be a really good hockey team. It’s gonna be a really good challenge for us.”

The puck drops at 8 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Storylines

1. The lineup

The Sabres are scheduled to hold their morning skate at 12:30 p.m. Check back then for lineup updates from coach Lindy Ruff.

Jiri Kulich entered the lineup in place of Jack Quinn on Thursday and led the team with five shots, including his first NHL goal.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi split the first two games of the road trip in goal.

2. Last time out

Ruff pointed to a slow start and mishandled puck management as the two deciding factors in the loss to the Blue Jackets on Thursday. The Sabres fell behind 2-0 in the first period and had their comeback attempts stifled by Blue Jackets goals scored off of turnovers.

The team surrendered a combined 24 high-danger scoring chances in Pittsburgh and Columbus after holding opponents to four in each of the previous two games (according to Natural Stat Trick).

“It’s focusing on tiny little details, just not being careless,” Tuch said. “It’s working hard for your full shift, not for 35 of the 45 seconds. It’s making sure you bear down in certain areas, and we haven’t had that consistency yet in the last couple of games.”

3. Scouting the Blackhawks

The Blackhawks continued to build around reigning Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard this past offseason with a series of veteran forward additions headlined by Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Teravainen has helped fuel a hot start for the Chicago power play, with a team-high two goals and five points scored on the man advantage. The Blackhawks have gone 5-for-16 to open the season, including two power-play goals in their win over San Jose on Thursday.

Bertuzzi, Nick Foligno, and defenseman Seth Jones all have scored power-play goals in addition to Teravainen.

Players to watch

Buffalo – JJ Peterka, LW

Peterka has three goals in two games since returning from a concussion. He ranks third on the team with 12 individual scoring chances at 5-on-5 despite missing two games with the injury.

Chicago – Connor Bedard, C

Bedard is tied for the team lead with seven points (1+6), including four assists on the power play. The 19-year-old made good on his highly touted potential after being selected with the No. 1 pick last summer, scoring 61 points in 66 games to earn the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.