Buffalo Sabres (11-16-4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (11-16-3)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | Centre Bell | Montreal, Quebec
TV: MSG-B, ESPN+
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Montreal Canadiens
Record: 11-16-3 | 25 PTS
Last Game: 4-2 Loss vs. Jets
Division Ranking: 8th in Atlantic Division
PP: 20.2% (18th)
PK: 80.2% (T13th)
What to Watch
1. Even Steven
Not that it is anything to be proud of, but these two teams are pretty evenly matched for tonight. Both Buffalo and Montreal sit at the bottom of the standings in their respective division and have had extensive trouble getting their offense going this season. While the Canadiens are averaging 2.7 goals per game – 24th in the league – the Sabres are not doing much better with their 2.93 average. Montreal also has the most goals against in our division with 113 and, of course, Buffalo not far behind with 104. Woof.
2. Will Tonight End the Losing Streak?
As we all know, the Sabres are currently on a ten-game winless streak: salt in the wound as fans impatiently await the end of the team’s never-ending playoff drought – a laughable goal at this point. Will they get back on track tonight? Were they ever on the track this year? Buffalo has tried a few techniques during the last few weeks such as scoring four immediate goals in the first period (but then giving up five consecutive), simply scoring first, and generally having solid goaltending…but, alas, none of it has allowed the team to leave the ice with two points.
3. Who is Likely to Get the Offense Going?
As the Sabres continue to struggle, there have still been a few shining – albeit still dimly lit – stars for offense as of late. Jason Zucker has seven points in Buffalo’s last seven games and Tage Thompson, tied in points with linemate Alex Tuch with 25, has tallied two goals and two assists in his previous four. Another forward that has recently shown up offensively is Jack Quinn. After being benched and asked to “work on some things” by head coach Lindy Ruff, Quinn scored two out of the team’s three goals against Toronto on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if he can keep the momentum going and help contribute to an end to the losses. It has to happen sometime, right?
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Zach Benson – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jack Quinn – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka
Jordan Greenway* – Jiri Kulich – Jason Zucker
Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs – Ryan McLeod
*Greenway exited practice this morning and did not return. He is doubtful for the game tonight, which would put Nicolas Aube-Kubel back in the lineup, likely shaking up the lines.
Defense**
Mattias Samuelsson – Owen Power
Bowen Byram – Henri Jokiharju
Dennis Gilbert – Connor Clifton
**Good news: Rasmus Dahlin was on the ice for practice this morning, so we are moving closer to him being back in the lineup.
Goaltenders: Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen (expected), James Reimer
Montreal Canadiens
Forwards
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Kirby Dach – Patrik Laine
Josh Anderson – Christian Dvorak – Brendan Gallagher
Emil Heineman – Jake Evans – Joel Armia
Defense
Lane Hutson – Mike Matheson
Kaiden Guhle – Justin Barron
Arber Xhekaj – David Savard
Goaltenders: Sam Montembeault (expected), Cayden Primeau