Game Info
Winnipeg Jets (8-5-2) vs Buffalo Sabres (7-8-1)
Puck Drop: 8:00 PM EST | Canada Life Centre | Winnipeg, MB
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR-550
Know Your Opponent
Winnipeg Jets
Record: 8-5-2
Last Game: beat New Jersey Devils 6-3
Division Ranking: 3rd, Central Division
PP: 18th, 19.6%
PK: 27th, 72.2%
What to Watch
1. Team Bonding on the Road
The Sabres are actively slumping, make no mistake. That listless loss at the Penguins followed by the deflating defeat against the Bruins could quickly lead to a three-game losing streak against a potent Jets side. Last season what eventually doomed Buffalo’s chances of making it to the post-season were their long swoons when they went game after game getting beaten in what seemed like unending streaks.
Given that, the chance to get on the road and to spend some time team building while away from home comforts is quite welcome. Like the other Buffalo team is quickly discovering, nothing is a given and talent is not an unquestionable precursor of success in the world of professional sports and every game is a new war within itself.
Until the Sabres get their work ethic right, they’re going to find it very difficult to become playoff contenders. For a young team, it’s going to take some leaders stepping up in the room to do that.
2. Tage Against The Machine
With Tage Thompson picking up an injury during that Bruins loss and being designated week-to-week, this is an opportunity for some of the lesser lights on the roster to step up and shine. The cloud brought by last season’s top points scorer getting injured does have a silver lining with Alex Tuch, Zach Benson and Eric Comrie all returning and could be on the ice tonight.
Dylan Cozens has an opportunity to step up to the top line between Tuch and Jef Skinner, and kickstart what has been a pretty miserable stretch so far. The man who could be captain in the near future hit his stride a couple of games into the season with a six-game point streak, but since then endured a five-game scoreless run before finally picking up an assist against Boston. This is a great chance for the workhorse from White Horse to put aside the ill-advised fight he got into and get back to scoring again, including some time on the first powerplay unit too.
3. Leveraging the Power Play
All conversations about the Sabres underperformance this season start with the toothless power play. Buffalo are only 26th in terms of power play opportunities received, and have scored just five goals in the 47 times they have been a man-up, good for just 10.6% and 29th place.
When they’re not wearing the black goathead jersey the Sabres are struggling to find goals – they are just 24th with 2.88 per game this season, a far cry from last year when they were one of the top scorers. Getting the power play to a point where it can start contributing to the goals column should be of paramount importance for Don Granato.
For more on the Jets, check out Arctic Ice Hockey.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Dylan Cozens – Alex Tuch
Zach Benson – Casey Mittelstadt – JJ Peterka
Jordan Greenway – Tyson Jost – Victor Olofsson
Zemgus Girgensons – Lukas Rousek – Kyle Okposo
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Mattias Samuelsson
Ryan Johnson – Owen Power
Connor Clifton – Erik Johnson
Goaltenders: Devon Levi, Eric Comrie, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Winnipeg Jets
Forwards
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Alex Iafallo
Cole Perfetti – Vladislav Namestnikov – Nikolaj Ehlers
Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton
Morgan Barron – David Gustafsson – Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
Defense
Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon – Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg – Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck, Laurent Brossoit