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