Sabres vs Stars Game Preview: Start Streaking

Game #14

Buffalo Sabres (4-7-2) vs. Dallas Stars (7-6-0)

Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. EST | American Airlines Center | Dallas, TX

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550

SB Nation Stars blog: Defending Big D

What to Watch For

1. Can the Sabres start their first winning streak of the season?

The Sabres have only put together consecutive wins once this season. In fact, over the last few years, they’ve struggled to put together any significant winning streaks which have resulted in them ending up in the bottom of the standings.

2. Pouliot - O’Reilly - Okposo line heating up

The Sabres second line is starting to find their stride. They accounted for three goals in the game against the Coyotes on Thursday. Okposo scored his first of the season and Pouliot added two of his own. Pouliot has four goals and five points in his last five games. O’Reilly has two goals and six points in his last five contests.

3. Another injury

Rasmus Ristolainen will be out tonight with an upper body injury that Phil Housley said was day-to-day. He joins Bogosian, Beaulieu and Gorges on the list of injured defenders.

Know Your Opponent

1. Offensive Power

The Stars carry a lot of firepower with big-name forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Benn has 14 points in 13 games while Seguin has 13 in 13 games. Alex Radulov has also fit in with the Stars nicely scoring 11 points in his 13 games played this season. Dallas also is the owner of the best power play in the league converting at 30.8 percent. The Sabres will need to stay out of the box tonight.

2. Goaltending still an issue

The Ben Bishop experiment hasn’t gone as planned so far this season. He’s given up 10 goals in his last three games and has only won once over the previous four.

Projected Lines:

9 Evander Kane - 15 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville

67 Benoit Pouliot - 90 Ryan O’Reilly - 21 Kyle Okposo

28 Zemgus Girgensons - 23 Sam Reinhart - 25 Seth Griffith

26 Matt Moulson - 22 Johan Larsson - 17 Jordan Nolan

6 Marco Scandella - 93 Victor Antipin

27 Taylor Fedun - 19 Jake McCabe

41 Justin Falk - 5 Matt Tennyson

Starting Goaltender: 40 Robin Lehner