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