Game #43

Buffalo Sabres (10-23-9) vs. Winnipeg Jets (25-11-7)

Season Series: January 5th – Jets 4, Sabres 3

Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. EST | Key Bank Center | Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550

SB Nation Jets blog: Arctic Ice Hockey

What to Watch

1. Brendan Guhle debut.

The Sabres top defensive prospect Brendan Guhle will make his season debut tonight. According to practice lines, he’ll skate with Jake McCabe. Guhle was having a great season in the AHL as a rookie. His excellent skating and offensive upside from the blue line will be a welcomed addition to the lineup.

2. Okposo and Eichel

For his next trick, Jack Eichel will try to get Kyle Okposo back on track. He got Evander Kane off to a hot start, who has now slowed down without the star center. Eichel then found a way to get Zemgus Girgensons to find the back of the net for a few games. Now, his mission is to get Okposo filling the net again.

3. Lehner will start.

Robin Lehner took a high shot against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. He missed practice yesterday, which resulted in Linus Ullmark being recalled from Rochester as a precaution. Lehner was on the ice for the morning skate and is expected to start tonight.

Know Your Opponent

1. You again?

The Sabres have had some odd scheduling situations this season. The Winnipeg Jets are another example of that. The two teams played last Friday in Winnipeg and will meet for the final time again tonight only four days later.

2. Call-ups

Winnipeg made two recent call-ups of note to the Sabres. One is former second-round pick Brendan Lemieux who was part of the Evander Kane trade. The other is Jack Roslovic who was selected with the first-round pick the Jets acquired in the Kane trade. Both will play tonight.

3. Power Play

The Jets killed the Sabres with the man advantage on Friday scoring twice on four opportunities. Winnipeg has the second overall ranked power play in the league, behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres will need to stay out of the box to have a chance tonight.

Projected Lineup

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 15 Jack Eichel – 21 Kyle Okposo

9 Evander Kane – 90 Ryan O’Reilly – 29 Jason Pominville

20 Scott Wilson – 71 Evan Rodrigues – 23 Sam Reinhart

22 Johan Larsson – 10 Jacob Josefson – 17 Jordan Nolan

6 Marco Scandella – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

82 Nathan Beaulieu – 47 Zach Bogosian

45 Brendan Guhle – 19 Jake McCabe

Starting Goaltender: 40 Robin Lehner