Game 75
Buffalo Sabres (36-31-7) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (29-32-13)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, PA
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: (29-32-13)
Last Game: 5-4 OT loss to Senators
Division Ranking: 7th in Metropolitan Division
PP: 16.3% (31st)
PK: 74.3% (26th)
What to Watch
1. Familiar Faces
There should be a few familiar faces in the lineup tonight in Philadelphia, with a number of former Sabres suiting up in the orange and black. Former Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and forward Nicolas Deslauriers are joined by former Buffalo prospect Brendan Lemieux.
Ristolainen has 18 points and a 44.8% CF in 67 games this season, averaging 18:52 per game. He was traded to the Flyers on July 23, 2021 by the Sabres in exchange for Robert Hagg and two draft picks, which turned into Isak Rosén and a 2023 second-rounder still to be fulfilled.
Deslauriers has 11 points and 131 penalty minutes in 72 games. He averages 10:08 of ice time per night and had a whopping 20 penalty minutes in the team’s last game, despite playing only 5:14. Deslauriers was traded by the Sabres in October 2017 to Montreal, a one-for-one swap for Zach Redmond. He then was sent to Anaheim for a fourth-round pick in 2019, and to Minnesota in 2022 for a third-round pick, before ending up in Philly.
In 37 games this season, Lemieux has eight points and 72 penalty minutes while averaging 10:16 per game. The 2014 Sabres draft pick was traded by the team in the blockbuster 2015 package that included Joel Armia, Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers and a draft pick (which eventually turned into Jack Roslovic) in exchange for Jason Kasdorf, Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane.
2. No April Fools Here
The Sabres have a great record historically on April 1st, going 18-5-4 on this day.
And, on this day in 1973, the Sabres clinched their first-ever playoff spot.
Entering today’s NHL slate, Buffalo has a 2.9 percent chance of making the playoffs. Other relevant games today: Bruins vs. Penguins (3:00 PM, on ESPN+ and ABC), Panthers vs. Blue Jackets (7:00 PM) and Islanders vs. Lightning (7:00 PM).
3. Who’s In Net
At this point, with Craig Anderson day-to-day with injury, the Sabres have three goalies to work with: Devon Levi, who had an outstanding NHL debut Friday night; Eric Comrie, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Who gets the start Saturday night? Your guess is as good as mine, but I think we all have our preferences on who’d we like to see.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Casey Mittelstadt – Alex Tuch
JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway – Tyson Jost – Victor Olofsson
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Kyle Okposo
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson – Ilya Lyubushkin
Goaltenders: Devon Levi, Eric Comrie
Scratches: Vinnie Hinostroza, Kale Clague, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Injuries: Tage Thompson, Craig Anderson
Philadelphia Flyers
Forwards
Joel Farabee – Morgan Frost – Owen Tippett
Scott Laughton – Noah Cates – Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk – Kevin Hayes – Brendan Lemieux
Nicolas Deslauriers – Tanner Laczynski – Justin Braun
Defense
Ivan Provorov – Cam York
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler – Tony Deangelo
Goaltenders: Felix Sandstrom, Samuel Ersson
Injuries: Ryan Ellis, Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Carter Hart