The Sabres and Hurricanes faced off a big game on March 3rd during the Sabres road trip that saw the Hurricanes defeat the Sabres 3-2 in overtime. At the time, the Hurricanes were three points ahead of the Sabres and a point behind the Rangers. Fast forward 12 days and the standings have changed dramatically. The Hurricanes are sitting out of a playoff spot at the moment, four points behind the Rangers and the Sabres with a game in hand on the Rangers. Tonight's game will have that playoff feel again and both teams understand that again. This game has a 20% swing in terms of making the playoffs for the Sabres. The chances of making the playoffs increase 8.4% if they win in regulation and decrease 11.9% if they lose in regulation.
- Drew Stafford will be back in the lineup tonight after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. During the morning skate, he was positioned with Thomas Vanek and Brad Boyes while Mark Parrish was sent back down to Portland.
- Carolina's Jamie McBain will not be in the lineup tonight as he suffered a shoulder injury on Friday against the Capitals. McBain scored the overtime winner two weeks ago to defeat the Sabres.
- As we said before, this game will have a playoff feel to it and the secondary ticket market prices reflect that. A few weeks ago, tickets on StubHub started at $35. Today, they start at $75 for the same type of seats. The crowd as seemed to be more lively in the past few games and tonight should be no different.
Game time is 7:30 pm and will be on Versus.