Game 47
Buffalo Sabres (12-27-7) vs. Boston Bruins (26-12-6)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550
SB Nation Bruins Blog: Stanley Cup of Chowder
Know Your Opponent
Boston Bruins
Record: (26-12-6)
Division Ranking: 4th in East Division
PP: 21.3% (12th)
PK: 86.3% (1st)
What to Watch
1. Roster Updates
Dustin Tokarski will once again get the start in goal for the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday evening – and honestly, he’s earned it. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to make his NHL debut in the second half of the back-to-back as the teams return to the ice on Friday.
In other roster news, Will Borgen returns to the lineup and will be on a D pairing with Jacob Bryson, according to The Athletic’s John Vogl. It’ll be Borgen’s first game since February 20; he missed 32 games. Colin Miller is the odd man out, and will sit as a result.
2. You Again?
It’s yet another meeting between the Sabres and Bruins, and we aren’t done yet. Tonight’s game is the fifth of eight meetings between the two teams, and they’ll see a lot of each other over the next week. Boston won 2-0 earlier this week; the teams play tonight and again on Friday. The Sabres then have two games against the Rangers before they finish the season series with Boston on a pair of games in Beantown on April 29 and May 1.
The Bruins have won all four meetings between the teams so far this season, so it’s Buffalo’s turn for retribution if they can get on a hot swing for the next few games. (I won’t count on it.)
3. Meanwhile, in Rochester
Just a quick update from Rochester: Jack Quinn is having season-ending surgery on a nagging lower-body injury. Quinn recorded nine points (2-7) in 15 games with the Amerks, who are fifth in the North Division with an 8-9-2-1 record.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Sam Reinhart – Victor Olofsson
Rasmus Asplund – Casey Mittelstadt – Tage Thompson
Anders Bjork – Dylan Cozens – Arttu Ruotsalainen
Tobias Rieder – Riley Sheahan – Drake Caggiula
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson – Will Borgen
Starting Goaltender: Dustin Tokarski
Boston Bruins
Forwards
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall – David Krejci – Craig Smith
Nick Ritchie – Charlie Coyle – Jake DeBrusk
Sean Kuraly – Curtis Lazar – Chris Wagner
Defense
Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly – Connor Clifton
Jeremy Lauzon – Steven Kampfer
Starting Goaltender: Jeremy Swayman