Game 48
Buffalo Sabres (25-19-3) at Winnipeg Jets (31-17-1)
Puck Drop: 8:00 PM
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550
SB Nation Jets Blog: Arctic Ice Hockey
Know Your Opponent
Winnipeg Jets
Record: 31-17-1
Last Game: 2-1 loss to Nashville
Division Ranking: 2nd in the Central Division
PP: 23.4% (13th)
PK: 84.1% (2nd)
What to Watch For
1. Is There Power in this Play?
The Sabres’ power play is firing at 25.8 percent this season, sixth-best in the NHL. Their 34 goals at 5-on-4 are ninth most in the NHL. But, on the flip side, the Jets’ penalty kill is 86.8% this season, second-best in the league, and they’ve allowed a league-low 20 goals at 5-on-4. That said, the Jets did allow two power-play goals against the Flyers earlier this week, so they’re not invincible.
2. Comrie Gets the Nod
Eric Comrie is expected to get the start in net Thursday night. It would be his first NHL game since January 10. That game, meanwhile, was his first in almost two months. Comrie has appeared in 12 NHL games this season with the Sabres, going 4-8 in that stretch with a 3.67 GAA and .883 save percentage. Comrie played three games during his conditioning stint with the AHL’s Rochester Americans between December 31 and January 6.
Comrie previously played for the Jets organization on two separate occasions. The team drafted him in 2013, and he skated for them in a handful of games from 2016-2019. He also played 19 games with the Jets in the 2021-22 season.
3. The Sabres Are Rolling
The Sabres enter Thursday night on a four-game winning streak and points in five consecutive games. Their last regulation loss came on January 16. Their current road trip has seen a 3-2 overtime win in Dallas (Monday), followed by Tuesday’s 5-3 win over St. Louis. After tonight, the Sabres cap off the road trip Saturday in Minnesota before a well-deserved rest.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Casey Mittelstadt – Tyson Jost – Victor Olofsson
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Kyle Okposo
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson – Ilya Lyubushkin
Goaltenders: Craig Anderson, Eric Comrie (projected starter), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Scratches: Rasmus Asplund, Kale Clague
Injuries: N/A
Winnipeg Jets
Forwards
Kyle Connor – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Cole Perfetti
Nikolaj Ehlers – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Morgan Barron – Adam Lowry – Karson Kuhlman
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby – Kevin Stenlund – Saku Maenalanen
Defense
Josh Morrissey – Dylan Demelo
Brenden Dillon – Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck, David Rittich
Injuries: Mason Appleton, David Gustafsson