Game #52
Buffalo Sabres (15-33-3) vs,
St. Louis Blues (33-13-4)
Three Questions
1. Will the team play any differently now that the 800-pound gorilla is off their back?
It can’t be fun or easy to play hockey night after night with a growing losing streak staring you in the face, which is why we’ll be looking to see if the Sabres play with more of a jump tonight now that they’ve slain the dragon of losing and are back in the friendly confines of the FNC.
2. Can the Sabres control the league’s second-best power play?
St. Louis comes into the game tonight with a power play unit humming along at 24.3%. While their own power play unit has shown improvement in recent games, the Sabres can’t expect to win this game if they can’t win the special teams battle.
3. Will messing with the defense prove to be a good idea?
This season, the top two defensive pairings have remained mostly the same – Myers and Gorges, Zadorov and Ristolainen. But today Ted Nolan is splitting up the youngsters, putting Zadorov with Meszaros and Ristolainen with Benoit. Will it give the three pairs more consistency, or kill the chemistry the young guns had together?
Projected BUF lines
Stewart – Girgensons – Ennis
Moulson – Mitchell – Gionta
Hodgson – Flynn – Stafford
Deslauriers – Ellis – Kaleta
Gorges – Myers
Benoit – Ristolainen
Zadorov – Meszaros
Goal: Jhonas Enroth