Game #58
Buffalo Sabres (17-30-10) vs. Ottawa Senators (19-27-9)
Season Series: 1-0 Sabres
12/12: Sabres 3 | Senators 2 (recap)
Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. EST | Canadian Tire Centre | Ottawa, ON
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550
SB Nation Senators blog: Silver Seven
Watch to Watch
1. Red Hot Power Play
Since January 1 the Sabres have the third best power play percentage in the league. They’ve converted on 27.9 percent of their opportunities. Also, are tied for the lead in power play goals since the start of the new year entering play tonight with 17.
2. Ryan O’Reilly
O’Reilly has stepped things up a notch after Jack Eichel went out of the lineup. He was producing points prior to Eichel’s injury. O’Reilly has 13 points in the last 11 games and has six points in the last two.
3. Sam Reinhart
Like O’Reilly, Reinhart is picking his game up since the calendar flipped to 2018. He has 16 points in the last 16 games. As of late Reinhart has seven points in the last five contests.
Know Your Opponent
1. Debuts
Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore will make their Senators debut tonight after being traded from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. Gaborik will skate on the top line, while Shore will center the fourth line.
2. Colin White
Sabres fans will get a look at the player the Senators drafted with the first round pick they acquired in the Robin Lehner trade. White has two goals and three points in 14 games with Ottawa this season.
3. Erik Karlsson
Interesting morning skate tidbit. Karlsson arrived late to the morning skate and didn’t skate very long. Reports indicated he looked uncomfortable and then left the ice. It seems like he’ll be in the lineup still, but worth keeping an eye on.
Projected Lineup
67 Benoit Pouliot – 90 Ryan O’Reilly – 23 Sam Reinhart
9 Evander Kane – 71 Evan Rodrigues – 21 Kyle Okposo
20 Scott Wilson -22 Johan Larsson – 29 Jason Pominville
28 Zemgus Girgensons – 10 Jacob Josefson – 13 Nicholas Baptiste
6 Marco Scandella – 8 Casey Nelson
82 Nathan Beaulieu – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
93 Victor Antipin – 4 John Gorges
Starting Goaltender: 40 Robin Lehner