Game 82

April 14, 1996

Buffalo Sabres (33-42-7) vs. Hartford Whalers (34-39-9)

Puck Drop: 8:00 PM EST | The Aud | Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG

Know Your Opponent

Hartford Whalers

Record: (34-39-9)

What to Watch

1. Farewell, Old Friend

Tonight, we say goodbye to Memorial Auditorium, the Sabres’ home since the franchise’s inception. The Aud has played host to many different teams in Buffalo sports history, from the AHL’s Buffalo Bisons to the NBA’s Buffalo Braves, the NPSL’s Buffalo Blizzard to the MILL’s Buffalo Bandits. It’s a treasured part of the city’s history, but it’s time for the Sabres to move on.

2. Finish Off Strong

The Sabres head into the season’s final game on a two-game winning streak. After falling 3-0 to the Islanders, Buffalo beat Ottawa 5-2 and defeated Washington 3-2. Buffalo is searching for its 33rd win of the season and looks to snag that in tonight’s game against the Whalers

3. Shanahan & Co.

The Whalers are led by captain Brendan Shanahan, who leads the team with 43 goals entering tonight’s game. His 77 points are by far the best on the team, with Geoff Sanderson over 10 points behind. Shanahan & Sanderson are by far the most dangerous Hartford players; the two combined have all three of the Whalers’ hat tricks this season, too.

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Mark Astley
Bob Boughner
Randy Burridge
Jason Dawe
Garry Galley
Brent Hughes
Dane Jackson
Pat LaFontaine
Brad May
Scott Nichol
Scott Pearson
Michael Peca
Derek Plante
Rob Ray
Darryl Shannon
Vaclav Varada
Mike WIlson
Alexei Zhitnik

Starting Goaltender: Andrei Trefilov

Hartford Whalers

Jeff Brown
Andrew Cassels
Scott Daniels
Gerald Diduck
Kevin Dineen
Nelson Emerson
Brian Glynn
Mark Janssens
Sami Kapanen
Marek Malik
Jason McBain
Brad McCrimmon
Andrei Nikolishin
Jeff O’Neill
Paul Ranheim
Steven Rice
Geoff Sanderson
Brendan Shanahan

Starting goalie: Jason Muzzatti