Game 39
Buffalo Sabres (9-24-6) vs. Washington Capitals (25-11-4)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
SB Nation Capitals Blog: Japers’ Rink
Know Your Opponent
Washington Capitals
Record: (25-11-4) | 54 PTS
Division Ranking: 1st in East Division
PP: 8th (24%)
PK: 7th (82.9%)
1. Score Some Goals
Obviously, you have to score to win, but it will be even more important tonight when the Sabres host Washington, a team they have only defeated once this season (in a shootout, respectively). The last time these two teams met, Ralph Krueger was still the head coach and Buffalo took a beating with a 6-0 loss at home. Another obvious point: the Caps are an elite team and the Sabres’ defense will be working overtime. Washington has averaged 3.4 goals in away games over the last three seasons – which is tied with Tampa for the second most in the league. Additionally, Alexander Ovechkin just became the eighth player in NHL history with over 16 consecutive seasons with 20+ goals. Good luck, Buffalo!
2. Third Period Slump
While it is not every game, it is often enough that the Sabres seem to give up shooting the puck in the third period. When it comes to shots, they are top heavy in the first 40 minutes and then something mysterious happens to their momentum in the third period – it disappears. In their last game against New Jersey, they tallied only two shots in the final period and the second shot was only after the goaltender was pulled. It would be nice to see a full 60 minutes again, especially on home ice.
It will also be interesting to see how Washington and Buffalo look – both suffering tough losses the previous night.
3. The Granato Effect
Jeff Skinner seems to be more, uh, like himself? Since the release of Krueger and being granted more ice time (a crazy concept), interim coach Don Granato has been determined to utilize his team to further reach their potential and this most definitely includes Skinner. The forward is coming off of a great backhanded goal Thursday night and fans should expect this to continue for the remainder of the season. Is he showing that he is worth $9+ million? Absolutely not, but there is at least a sign of life in him now and no matter what side of the Skinner fence you are on, he can be very fun to watch.
Another notable improvement on the ice is Rasmus Dahlin. Previously looking like a lost puppy under Krueger, he has displayed more focus as of late. With his assist to Skinner’s goal last night, he now has 100 points in 180 games. At 20 years old (he will turn 21 on April 13), Dahlin is the youngest Swedish defenseman in NHL history to reach 100 career points. He seems to be heading in the right direction with the new and improved coaching. Let’s hope it continues!
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Rasmus Asplund – Casey Mittelstadt – Tage Thompson
Victor Olofsson – Sam Reinhart – Kyle Okposo
Tobias Rieder – Cody Eakin – Steven Fogarty
Jeff Skinner – Riley Sheahan
Defense
Jacob Bryson – Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Colin Miller – Brandon Montour
Matt Irwin
Starting Goaltender: Linus Ullmark
Washington Capitals
Forwards
Alexander Ovechkin – Lars Eller – T.J. Oshie
Conor Sheary – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Daniel Carr
Carl Hagelin – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway
Defense
Dmitry Orlov – John Carlson
Brenden Dillon – Justin Schultz
Zdeno Chara – Nick Jensen
Starting Goaltender: Vitek Vanecek (expected)