Preview: Sabres host the limping Coyotes

Game 32

Buffalo Sabres (18-9-4) vs Arizona Coyotes (13-14-2)

Season series: 1-0 Sabres

• 10/13 - Sabres 3, Coyotes 0 (complete coverage)

Puck Drop: 7:00 PM | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG-B

Radio: WGR 550

SB Nation Coyotes blog: Five for Howling

Know Your Opponent

Arizona Coyotes

Record: (13-14-2) | 28 PTS

Last 10: 4-5-1

Division Ranking: 7th in the Pacific Division

Conference Ranking: 12th in the Western Conference

PP: 22nd (17.2%)

PK: 1st (90.6%)

What to Watch

1. Another injured opponent

Like the Kings on Tuesday, the Coyotes, come into tonight banged up. They’re going to be without key contributors like Michael Grabner, Alex Galchenyuk, Christian Dvorak, Jason Demers, and Antti Raanta.

2. Watch out for the penalty kill

The Sabres power play hasn’t been great as of late and it won’t get any easier tonight. The Coyotes have the NHL’s best penalty kill unit and most dangerous. Arizona already has 11 shorthanded goals this season. Their most dangerous threat in Grabner (four short-handed goals) will be out of the lineup, but still something to key an eye on.

3. Don’t take them lightly

While the Coyotes are at the bottom of the NHL standings they can’t be took lightly. They’re on a three game losing streak, but they won four in a row prior to that. They played the Boston Bruins tough on Tuesday night almost coming back from a 4-1 deficit and the San Jose Sharks last Saturday by almost coming back from a 3-0 hole.

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

Jeff Skinner - Jack Eichel - Sam Reinhart

Conor Sheary - Casey Mittelstadt - Kyle Okposo

Zemgus Girgensons - Johan Larsson - Evan Rodrigues

Tage Thompson - Vladimir Sobotka - Jason Pominville

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin - Zach Bogosian

Lawrence Pilut - Rasmus Ristolainen

Nathan Beaulieu - Matt Tennyson

Starting Goaltender: Carter Hutton (unconfirmed)

Arizona Coyotes

Forwards

Lawson Crouse - Nick Schmaltz - Clayton Keller

Richard Panik - Derek Stepan - Christian Fischer

Nick Cousins - Brad Richardson - Josh Archibald

Michael Bunting - Mario Kempe - Conor Garland

Defense

Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Ilya Lyubushkin

Alex Goligoski - Niklas Hjalmarsson

Jordan Osterle - Jakob Chychrun

Starting Goaltender: Darcy Kuemper (unconfirmed)