Game 22
Buffalo Sabres (8-10-3) vs. Seattle Kraken (7-13-1)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550
SB Nation Kraken Blog: Davy Jones Locker Room
Know Your Opponent
Seattle Kraken
Record: (7-13-1) | 15 PTS
Division Ranking: 7th in Pacific
PP: 19th (18.0%)
PK: 14th (82.2%)
1. Slumping Teams
Buffalo and Seattle roll into Monday night’s matchup, both in a bit of a slump.
Buffalo lost their last game against Detroit in overtime, while Seattle handed the Florida Panthers their first home loss of the season.
Despite these two dramatically different outcomes, the Sabres are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and the Kraken are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games.
2. Welcome to Buffalo
On Sunday, the Buffalo Sabres announced the signing of forward Mark Jankowski.
For those who might have thought that name sounded familiar, Jankowski spent the first 13 games of the American Hockey League season with the Rochester Americans. In those 13 games, Jankowski recorded 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists).
Jankowski was on an AHL contract, which explains the necessity for a NHL contract.
Another tie-in with Mark Jankowski and the Buffalo Sabres?
Jankowski was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Level Draft. This pick was acquired from the Nashville Predators via the Buffalo Sabres, which came in a trade that allowed Buffalo to move up to 14th overall to select Zemgus Girgensons.
3. Returning to Practice
For the first time since being acquired by the Buffalo Sabres on November 4, 2021, forward Alex Tuch took the ice.
While Tuch is still listed as month-to-month following offseason shoulder surgery, returning to the ice is not only a good sign for Tuch but for the Buffalo Sabres as a whole.
It is currently unknown how much longer Tuch will be out but following practice, head coach Don Granato pointed out that Tuch is not expected “for a few weeks”. Either way, it is clear with Tuch beginning to ramp up on-ice activities, his return could be closer than originally anticipated.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Victor Olofsson
Brett Murray – Dylan Cozens – Kyle Okposo
Anders Bjork – Zemgus Girgensons – Rasmus Asplund
Vinnie Hinostroza – Cody Eakin – John Hayden
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Mark Pysyk
Jacob Bryson – Henri Jokiharju
Robert Hagg – Colin Miller
Starter: Dustin Tokarski
Seattle Kraken
Forwards
Marcus Johansson – Alexander Wennberg – Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz – Yanni Gourde – Mason Appleton
Brandon Tanev – Morgan Geekie – Jared McCann
Ryan Donato – Colin Blackwell – Joonas Donskoi
Defense
Jamie Oleksiak – Haydn Fleury
Adam Larsson – Jeremy Lauzon
Vince Dunn – Carson Soucy
Starter: Philipp Grubauer