The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils will face off tonight for the first of three contests this season, and with both teams coming off of wins last night, it’s a chance for the Sabres to get on a winning streak for only the second time all season.
The Sabres pulled off an exciting overtime win against Toronto last night thanks to a seeing-eye shot from Christian Ehrhoff that went right through the skate blade of Carl Gunnarsson. Strong efforts from Luke Adam, Ville Leino, and newcomer Matt D’Agostini helped spur the Sabres to victory for just the sixth time in 28 games.
The Sabres will be making some changes from their winning squad last night, as Mikhail Grigorenko and Brayden McNabb are expected to play tonight, likely in the places of Mike Weber and John Scott, though we won’t know for sure until Ted Nolan’s media session at 5pm. Jhonas Enroth is also expected to start in place of Ryan Miller.
UPDATE: Ted Nolan said today the team will go with the same lineup, so no Grigorenko, no McNabb.
Game #28
Buffalo Sabres (6-20-1) at New Jersey Devils (10-11-5)
Puck Drop – 7:00pm EST – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
TV – MSG | Radio – WGR 550-AM
SBNation Devils Blog – In Lou We Trust
Three Questions
1. Will Luke Adam and Ville Leino continue to build on their run of strong games?
Adam scored his first NHL goal of the season last night thanks to excellent positioning, and Ville Leino had his first multi-point game of the year thanks to his two assists. Adam has continued his strong AHL season in the NHL, and Leino’s play has been much better under Ted Nolan than under Ron Rolston.
2. Who will lead the team in TOI?
For many moons, Christian Ehrhoff has been the de-facto ice time leader on the Sabres. However, last night his title was usurped by Tyler Myers, who has been playing some very good hockey since Ted Nolan took over. Is Myers slowly becoming the new #1, or was last night just an aberration?
3. It’s been two weeks since Jhonas Enroth played. Can he deliver another strong performance?
Ryan Miller will get a well-deserved break tonight, but Enroth has sat for the past five games, a total of two weeks. Will he display any rust, or can he give the Sabres the strong goaltending performance they’ll need to win?
Projected BUF Lines
Matt Moulson – Cody Hodgson – Drew Stafford
Matt D’Agostini – Ville Leino – Steve Ott
Zemgus Girgensons – Tyler Ennis – Luke Adam
Marcus Foligno – Brian Flynn – Mikhail Grigorenko
Christian Ehrhoff – Alexander Sulzer
Henrik Tallinder – Tyler Myers
Brayden McNabb – Mark Pysyk
Goal: Jhonas Enroth
Scratches/Injuries: Weber, McBain, Scott, McCormick