March 3, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabers center Taj Thompson (72) controls the puck during the second quarter during a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Image With the trade deadline approaching, the visiting Nashville Predators and Buffalo Sabers continue their push for the playoffs when they meet on Saturday.
Buffalo, fighting for first place in the Atlantic Division and looking to end a 14-year playoff drought, has been active this week, adding four players.
Nashville, which was trying to hold on in the Western Conference wild card race, made a move.
New faces for the Sabers, who are riding a five-game winning streak, include forward Sam Carrick, acquired from the New York Rangers, and defensemen Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn, who arrived in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets.
Carrick, who has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 60 games for New York with a 53.9 percent faceoff win percentage, will be Buffalo’s fourth-line center, while Stanley and Shen provide defensive depth.
And just before Friday’s deadline, the Sabers traded for Jets forward Tanner Pearson.
“It’s a lot more interesting to be on this side than selling,” defender Mattias Samuelsson said on Friday. “…Honestly, no one in this room cares if we trade a pick or two, so it’s good to have some new faces and some new energy here. It’s fun. It’s definitely good for morale.”
Carrick was able to join the team in time for Saturday’s game.
Meanwhile, the Predators sent Michael Bunting to the Dallas Stars on Thursday in exchange for Seattle’s third-round pick in the 2026 draft. The team traded forwards Michael McCarron and Cole Smith and defenseman Nick Blankenburg for draft picks and AHL players earlier this week.
“We’re still pushing to make the playoffs,” Nashville defenseman Roman Josi said. “You see a lot of people get involved in deals that mean a lot to this team. We’re a close-knit group. We’ve been through a lot together this year, the way we started and came back and fought.”
Buffalo begins a five-game homestand after a 5-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Josh Norris and Owen Power each had a goal and an assist, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves.
“We’re going pretty well,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “There was a lot of special teams, a lot of unevenness throughout the game. Getting on and off special teams was a big part of it.”
Tage Thompson (assist) extended his career-high scoring streak to nine games (five goals, five assists).
Buffalo has outscored opponents 19-8 in its last five games.
The Predators snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) with a 6-3 home win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Matthew Wood scored two goals, Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists and Juuse Saros made 20 saves.
Nashville scored four goals in the second quarter to take a 5-1 lead.
“Our team is pretty battle-tested,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “It’s really not surprising what they’re doing. I thought all of our leaders held on to it like they have all year and our young kids brought some energy. It was a good synergy (Thursday). I’m proud of the group.”
Consta Helenius had a goal and two assists as the Sabers beat the Predators 5-3 in the teams’ first meeting in Nashville on Jan. 20.
–Field level media
