Buffalo Sabres (33-36-6) vs. Boston Bruins (31-37-9)
Puck Drop: 6:00 PM ET | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Boston Bruins
Record: 31-37-9 | 71 PTS
Division Ranking: 7th in the Atlantic
Last Game: 5-1 win over Carolina
PP: 15.1% (29th) – (Sabres 18.5%, 25th) *
PK: 76.6% (23rd) – (Sabres 76.7%, 22nd) *
What To Watch
1. Snapped Out of It
The Bruins snapped a 10-game losing streak on Saturday night with a decisive 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. That 10-game skid, which lasted from March 13 through April 3, sent the Bruins to the bottom of the Atlantic Division. They were outscored 46-14 in that stretch.
That said, Boston snapped that streak with a big win on Saturday night, powered by a hat trick from David Pastrnak. Pastrnak now has 40 goals on the season (hey, so does Tage Thompson!). Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm also scored, while Jeremy Swayman made 39 saves. As of writing, the Bruins are still at the bottom of the Atlantic and are tied for last place in the Eastern Conference with Philadelphia. They’ve officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
2. Back to Back
Just as the Bruins are on the second half of a back-to-back weekend, so too are the Sabres. Buffalo beat Tampa 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night. Tonight’s game, one of four remaining at KeyBank Center, is a critical one as the team’s playoff odds dwindle. Despite the fact that the Sabres have won three straight and six of their last seven games, the teams ahead of them in key spots also keep winning.
Per Chad DeDominics, a Sabres regulation loss tonight, combined with a Montreal win over Nashville (7 pm), would spell elimination.
3. Who’s in Net?
James Reimer has been on fire lately, but this is the second half of a back-to-back. Will we see Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen get a crack in goal this evening, or will Lindy Ruff elect to use Reimer again?
Realistically, at this point, Reimer is giving this team its best chance to win. Luukkonen has struggled, but at the same time, you can’t give up on him and ride Reimer the rest of the way. That’s just not likely.
No morning skate today, but Lindy Ruff is expected to give updates around 4 p.m. Of course, he probably won’t reveal his starter anyways.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Zach Benson – Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker – Peyton Krebs – Alex Tuch
Beck Malenstyn – Noah Ostlund – Sam Lafferty
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahin
Owen Power – Jacob Bernard-Docker
Bowen Byram – Connor Clifton
Goaltenders
James Reimer, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Boston Bruins
Forwards
Morgan Geekie – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Pavel Zacha – Casey Mittelstadt – Fabian Lysell
Marat Khusnutdinov – Fraser Minten – Vinni Lettieri
Jakub Lauko – John Beecher – Cole Koepke
Defense
Nikita Zadorov – Henri Jokiharju
Parker Wotherspoon – Andrew Peeke
Mason Lohrei – Ian Mitchell
Goaltenders
Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo