Game #44
Buffalo Sabres (14-26-3) vs.
Detroit Red Wings (22-11-9)
Three Questions
1. Let’s be honest, tonight is all about Dominik Hasek. What will his number retirement ceremony look like?
Tonight will be one of the most special nights of the year for Sabres fans, as one of the franchise’s all-time greats will have his number retired. Last year, Hasek was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame, and the pregame ceremony was fittingly appropriate for such a great player. Tonight will be another chance to celebrate Hasek’s Sabres legacy, and should be an awesome event to attend or watch live. The pregame ceremony is slated to start at 6:45pm, so get in early if you’re going to the arena.
2. Will the Sabres be able to take advantage of the Red Wings goalie injuries?
After injuries to Jimmy Howard and Jonas Gustavsson, the Red Wings are down to goalies number three and four. AHL call-ups will be wearing the big pads tonight, as Petr Mrazek will start and Tom McCollum will back him up. The Sabres, meanwhile, have only scored six goals in their last six games, and will need to take advantage of the young Detroit netminders to have a chance tonight.
3. Zac Dalpe makes his Sabres debut tonight – how will he look?
Dalpe was signed to be a solid AHL player for the Amerks, and an experienced emergency call-up in case of injury which is what he’ll be tonight. Brian Gionta should be back soon and Chris Stewart may miss tonight with the flu, so we’re not sure how long Dalpe (and Phil Varone, who is also up) will be in Buffalo, but maybe Dalpe can bring a bit of what the Sabres have been missing during this long slump.
Projected BUF lines
Moulson – Girgensons – Ennis
Flynn – Mitchell – Stafford
Deslauriers – Varone – Hodgson
Stewart – Dalpe – Kaleta
Gorges – Myers
Benoit – Ristolainen
Weber – Meszaros
Goal: Michal Neuvirth