Game 71
Buffalo Sabres (25-34-11) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (45-16-8)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550
SB Nation Hurricanes Blog: Canes Country
Know Your Opponent
Carolina Hurricanes
Record: (45-16-8) | 98 PTS
Division Ranking: 1st in Metropolitan
PP: 8th (24.0%)
PK: 1st (88.1%)
1. Back-to-Back
Sometimes the National Hockey League scheduling gods do you favors and give you a nice stretch of comfortable games.
Other times, the luck of the draw gives you the league’s two best teams back-to-back.
After a 5-3 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Florida Panthers, the Buffalo Sabres play host to the Metropolitan-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
Yikes, good luck.
2. Tage Leads The Way
Tage Thompson’s career year with the Buffalo Sabres continues.
Thompson leads the Sabres with 31 goals and 54 points. Four of those goals have come in the last five games.
It feels like when Thompson starts to score goals, he gets white hot and can’t be stopped.
Buffalo will need all the Tage Thompson-related help if they have plans on beating Carolina.
3. Even Better With Age
Kyle Okposo’s career resurgence continues under head coach Don Granato.
With five points (three goals, two assists) in his last five games, Okposo is now on-pace to set a Sabres career-high in goals and points.
Okposo currently sits at 18 goals and 41 points, at age 33.
His previous Sabres career-highs are 19 goals in 2016-17 and 45 points in 2016-17.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Victor Olofsson
Rasmus Asplund – Casey Mittelstadt – Alex Tuch
Peyton Krebs – Dylan Cozens – Vinnie Hinostroza
Zemgus Girgensons – Cody Eakin – Kyle Okposo
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Mattias Samuelsson – Casey Fitzgerald
Jacob Bryson – Mark Pysyk
Starter: Craig Anderson
Carolina Hurricanes
Forwards
Teuvo Teravainen – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov – Vincent Trocheck – Max Domi
Nino Niederreiter – Jordan Staal – Jesper Fast
Jordan Martinook – Derek Stepan – Martin Necas
Defense
Jaccob Slavin – Tony DeAngelo
Brady Skjei – Brett Pesce
Brendan Smith – Ian Cole
Starter: Frederik Andersen