Game 24

Buffalo Sabres (6-14-3) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (12-7-3)

Puck Drop: 7:00 PM | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, PA

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550

SB Nation Flyers Blog: Broad Street Hockey

Know Your Opponent

Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 12-7-3 | 27 PTS

Last 10: 5-4-1

Division Ranking: 5th in East Division

PP: 22nd (18.0%)

PK: 28th (72.2%)

What to Watch

1. Here We Go Again

With every loss – seven in a row now, heading into Tuesday’s game – it’s becoming harder and harder to know just what to say about the Buffalo Sabres. What can you say about this team anymore? It’s painful to watch and there’s still no end in sight. Tonight’s game is the fifth meeting of the season between the Flyers and the Sabres, and pretty much any stat line you look at favors the Flyers. The Sabres have been outscored 15-1 by the Flyers this season, with each of the last three matchups ending in 3-0 losses. Can the Sabres somehow find a way to snap their nasty streak, or will they extend their losing streak to eight?

2. No Eichel Tonight

Sabres captain Jack Eichel will not playing tonight due to an upper-body injury, as reported by the team on Tuesday morning. Elliotte Friedman noted on Twitter that there are “rumblings” he could be out longer term, so this is definitely something to keep an eye on. The 24-year-old has two goals and 16 assists in 21 games this season; he leads the team in assists and points.

3. Special Teams

If there is a single positive attribute to the Sabres’ game right now, it may lie in special teams. Buffalo’s power play is the third-best in the NHL, firing at 29.7 percent. Their penalty kill is ninth, at 82.4 percent. The Sabres have gone six straight games without allowing a power-play goal, and they’re the least-penalized team in the league. It’s not much, but it’s something.

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

Taylor Hall - Dylan Cozens - Sam Reinhart

Victor Olofsson - Eric Staal - Riley Sheahan

Jeff Skinner - Curtis Lazar - Casey Mittelstadt

Tobias Rieder - Cody Eakin - Kyle Okposo

Defense (pairings rotated in morning skate)

Rasmus Dahlin - Rasmus Ristolainen

Henri Jokiharju/Brandon Irwin - Colin Miller

Jacob Bryson - Brandon Montour

Starting Goaltender: Jonas Johansson

Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards

James Van Riemsdyk - Sean Couturier - Joel Farabee

Scott Laughton - Kevin Hayes - Travis Konecny

Oskar Lindblom-Claude Giroux-Jakub Voracek

Connor Bunnaman-Nolan Patrick-Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Defense

Ivan Provorov-Philippe Myers

Travis Sanheim-Justin Braun

Robert Hagg-Shayne Gostisbehere

Starting Goaltender: Carter Hart