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Category: Buffalo Sabres

  • December 17th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 17th, 2018 — News and Notes

    It is Monday, December 17th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were seven contests across the NHL yesterday…

     

    Vegas 4, NY RANGERS 3 (OT)

    The Vegas Golden Knights would defeat the New York Rangers in overtime yesterday afternoon with Vegas’ Alex Tuch would score the game-winner at 2:11 in the overtime frame.

     

     

     

    CAROLINA 3, Arizona 0

    Carolina Hurricanes G Petr Mrazek would go on to have a 23 save performance to seal the shutout victory for the Hurricanes.

     

    Calgary 7, ST. LOUIS 2

    The Calgary Flames would score a shorthanded goal for the third consecutive game for the eighth time in franchise history and would go on to defeat the St. Louis Blues 7-2 in St. Louis last night.

     

    Buffalo 4, BOSTON 2

     

    Buffalo’s Jack Eichel now has five regular-season games of at least four points before his 23rd birthday and joins four other Buffalo Sabres for this mark in franchise history.

     

     

    San Jose 7, CHICAGO 3

    San Jose Sharks D Brent Burns became the 38th player in League history to be listed as a defenceman to register at least 600 points in the contest against the Chicago Blackhawks.

     

     

     

    WINNIPEG 5, Tampa Bay 4 (OT)

     

    Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele would score the game-winner in the overtime frame with 42 seconds left to seal the 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

     

    VANCOUVER 4, Edmonton 2

     

    Vancouver’s rookie Elias Pettersson extended his point streak to seven games and now leads all rookies with 35 points on the season in 30 games played.

     

    There are five games taking place tonight in the NHL…

     

     

    Today in NHL news…

     

    The NHL today announced the Three Stars of the Week for the week ending December 16th.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Philadelphia Flyers announced earlier today that Head Coach Dave Hakstol has been relieved of his duties effective immediately and that Scott Gordon will be the head coach on an interim basis.

     

  • December 16th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 16th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, December 16th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 10 contests on the NHL slate yesterday.

     

    Calgary 2, MINNESOTA 1

    In a penalty filled contest between the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild, the Calgary Flames would come away from Minnesota with the 2-1 victory yesterday afternoon.

    Flames D Mark Giordano became the first player in Flames history to have shorthanded goals in consecutive games with his short-handed goal at 12:03 in the first period.

     

     

    Despite being outshot, Calgary would have the most important side of the stat sheet with their 2-1 win.

     

    MONTREAL 5, Ottawa 2

     

    This would be the Canadiens third win over the Senators in 12 days.

     

     

    The Montreal Canadiens, with their win, would give head coach Claude Julien his 600th NHL win.

     

    NY ISLANDERS 4, Detroit 3 (OT)

     

    NY Islanders Matthew Barzal would net the winner in the shootout frame to give the Islanders the win over Detroit.

     

    PITTSBURGH 4, Los Angeles 3

    With the overtime winner by Phil Kessel, Kessel now ties Hall of Famer Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, and David Legwand for the second most regular season overtime winners by a  U.S.-born player with nine goals.

     

    ANAHEIM 2, Columbus 1

    The Anaheim Ducks would seal the 2-1 win, holding off a late rally from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

    Anaheim’s Daniel Sprong would score the only two goals for the Ducks.  Anaheim has won 10 out of their last 12 contests with this win over Columbus.

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1074153104877076480

     

    FLORIDA 4, Toronto 3 (OT)

    With the Florida Panthers over the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime, the Panthers Aleksander Barkov would become the first player in the 25-year history of the franchise to complete the hat-trick with an overtime goal.

    Barkov, with his three goals in the contest, now has 114 goals as a Panther.  He moved past Radek Dvorak, who had 113 goals as a Panther.

    Despite Toronto scoring three goals in the third period, two by Mitchell Marner and other by John Tavares, the Maple Leafs were unable to take advantage in the overtime frame.

     

    TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs contributor, Steve Gardiner, has your recap of the contest between the Maple Leafs and the Panthers at the following page.

     

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers – 15/12/2018 – Game Day Recap

     

    WASHINGTON 4, Buffalo 3 (SO)

    Washington Capitals F Alex Ovechkin would extend his point-scoring streak to 14 games, a career-high, with his League-leading 29th goal on the season.

    Alex Ovechkin now sits one goal away from having his 14th consecutive season in which he has scored at least 30 goals in a season.

     

    Rasums Dahlin, last June’s number one overall pick, became the fifth different rookie defenceman in Buffalo Sabres history to record at least three points in a contest.

     

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1074113761626218497

     

    TXHT has your full recap and analysis of the match-up between the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres at the following page.

    Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

     

    NASHVILLE 2, New Jersey 1 (SO)

    Nashville Predators Ryan Johansen would seal the winner in the shootout frame to give the Predators a of 22-10-1 (45 pts), moving back the top of the Western Conference standings.

     

    Nashville would also move to a record of 10-0-0 against Eastern Conference opponents during the 2018-19 campaign with the win over the New Jersey Devils.

     

    https://twitter.com/PR_NHL/status/1074157670662373376

     

    COLORADO 6, Dallas 4

     

    In this contest, Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen would become the fifth set of teammates to reach the 50-point plateau since the 1981-1982 season.

     

     

    VANCOUVER 5, Philadelphia 1

    Philadelphia’s lone goal in the contest would be scored by Scott Laughton at 16:29 in the first period to bring the

     

    Meanwhile for the Vancouver Canucks, rookie sensation Elias Pettersson continues to find his way onto to scoring sheet.

    Pettersson has extended an assist and point streak to six games, amassing three goals and nine assists (12 points) and this matches a Vancouver Canucks rookie record for longest assist streak.

     

    The longest assist streak belongs to J.J. Daigneault during the 1984-85 season.

     

    The longest rookie point streak belong to Pavel Bure, who had a point in at least eight straight contests during the 1991-92 season.

     

  • Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Game Recap – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (19-9-4 42pts) v. Washington Capitals (19-9-3 41pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    For the second night in a row the Washington Capitals go to the shootout to continue their winning streak at five games. However it showed some of the same problems the Capitals had the previous night as they did in Carolina when they took on the Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals continue to have problems taking penalties, especially early in the game/period that they need to fix, plus their penalty killing is still a weakness that needs to be fixed.

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Tage Thompson — Vladimir Sobotka — Jason Pominville

    Evan Rodrigues — Johan Larsson — Zemgus Girgensons

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Nathan Beaulieu — Matt Tennyson

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Remi Elie

    Injured: Marco Scandella (upper body), Jake McCabe (lower body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle), Matt Hunwick (neck)

    Suspended: Patrik Berglund

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky, Dmitrij Jaskin, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

     

    First Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :41 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for High Sticking

    Sabres Goal – 2:41 – Jack Eichel (11) from Sam Reinhart (20) and Rasmus Dahlin (13)

    Capitals Goal – 3:39 – Brett Connolly (7) from Devante Smith-Pelly (3)

    Capitals Goal – 9:41 – Jakub Vrana (10) from Evgeny Kuznetsov (24)

    Sabres Penalty – 10:12 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 1       WAS – 2

    Shots              08                10

    Faceoffs         05                12

    Hits               06                  10

    PP                 0/1                 0/1

     

    Analysis:

    The Capitals did not have a good start to this game by taking a penalty in the first minute of the game, and then just as the penalty ended gave up the first goal of the game, but the way the Capitals was responded was really good. Pressuring Carter Hutton to cough up the puck so the Capitals could tie the game was very well done and then Evgeny Kuznetsov feeding Jakub Vrana with a beautiful pass to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. The Sabres are playing very good hockey and you don’t want to give them any chances. Also the Capitals need to clean up their passing and the play in their own zone. Lastly, the Capitals need to cut down on the fancy passing and get the pucks to the net.

     

    Second Period:

    Capitals Penalty – :50 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Hooking

    Sabres PPG – 2:25 – Jack Eichel (12) from Rasmus Dahlin (14) and Rasmus Ristolainen (18)

    Capitals Penalty – 6:10 – Madison Bowey 2 minutes for Hooking

    Sabres PPG – 7:21 – Rasmus Dahlin (3) from Jeff Skinner (11) and Sam Reinhart (21)

    Sabres Penalty – 8:12 – Tage Thompson 2 minutes for Interference

    Capitals Penalty – 11:51 – Michal Kempny 2 minutes for Roughing

    Sabres Penalty – 11:51 – Sam Reinhart 2 minutes for Slashing

    Capitals Goal – 13:46 – Alex Ovechkin (29) from Nicklas Backstrom (30) and Dmitry Orlov (10)

    Sabres Penalty -14:42 – Zach Bogosian 2 minutes for Hooking

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 3        WAS – 3

    Shots               17                 25

    Faceoffs          19                 21

    Hits                 13                  19

    PP                   2/3                  0/3

     

    Analysis:

    Once again not a good start the period as the Capitals took another penalty in the first minute of the period that resulted in a goal, this time while the penalty was still being served. Then with sloppy play in their own zone, the Sabres would capitalize and score to give themselves the lead. Good job by Dmitry Orlov to pinch in an force the turnover and have it lead to an Alex Ovechkin goal.

     

    Need to Do:

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. They have had three penalties against them and all 3 have resulted in goals against. Also the Capitals need to mix up their powerplay unit a bit.

     

    Third Period:

    Sabres Penalty – :16 – Marco Scandella 2 minutes for Delay of Game

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              21                   35

    Faceoffs        25                    30

    Hits               16                     30

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    OT:

    Sabres Penalty – 3:29 – Evan Rodrigues 2 minutes for Roughing

    Capitals Penalty – 3:29 – TJ Oshie 2 minutes for Roughing

     

    End of OT – BUF – 3         WAS – 3

    Shots              28                   38

    Faceoffs        27                    31

    Hits               16                     32

    PP                 2/3                    0/4

     

    Shootout:

    WAS – TJ Oshie – Save

    BUF – Jack Eichel – Miss

    WAS – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Goal

    BUF – Tage Thompson – Save

    WAS – Nicklas Backstrom – Miss

    BUF – Casey Mittelstadt – Goal

    WAS – Alex Ovechkin – Goal

    BUR – Jason Pominville – Save

     

    End of SO – BUF 3     WAS 4

     

    Analysis:

    Overall it was an ok period for the Capitals, but they were a little too fancy with the puck. In OT the Sabres were the dominant team.

     

    Next Up:

    Washington (20-9-3 43pts) v. Pittsburgh (15-11-6 36pts)

    Buffalo (19-9-5 43pts) v. Boston (17-11-4 38pts)

  • Gameday Preview – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Gameday Preview – 12/15/2018 – Buffalo Sabres v. Washington Capitals

    Buffalo Sabres (19-9-4 42pts) v. Washington Capitals (19-9-3 41pts)

     

    Time: 7p EST

    Station: NBC Sports Washington and MSG Buffalo

     

    Preview:

    The Washington Capitals return home to finish off their back to back as they face the much improved Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals will look to win their fifth straight game, and do so in a much more better effort than they did last night against the Carolina Hurricanes where they won in the shootout.

     

    Buffalo Sabres:

    Projected Lineup:

    Jeff Skinner — Jack Eichel — Sam Reinhart

    Conor Sheary — Casey Mittelstadt — Kyle Okposo

    Tage Thompson — Vladimir Sobotka — Jason Pominville

    Evan Rodrigues — Johan Larsson — Zemgus Girgensons

    Lawrence Pilut — Rasmus Ristolainen

    Rasmus Dahlin — Zach Bogosian

    Nathan Beaulieu — Matt Tennyson

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark

    Scratched: Remi Elie

    Injured: Marco Scandella (upper body), Jake McCabe (lower body), Casey Nelson (upper body), Scott Wilson (ankle), Matt Hunwick (neck)

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Control the tempo

    The Sabres have the luxury of not having to have played last night, so they will want to go into this game and control the tempo of it right off the bat.

     

    Washington Capitals:

    Projected Lineup:

    Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

    Jakub Vrana — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

    Brett Connolly — Lars Eller — Devante Smith-Pelly

    Dmitrij Jaskin — Nic Dowd — Travis Boyd

    Michal Kempny — John Carlson

    Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen

    Jonas Siegenthaler — Madison Bowey

    Pheonix Copley

    Braden Holtby

    Scratched: Andre Burakovsky*, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Lewington

    Injured: Christian Djoos (leg), Brooks Orpik (knee)

    * Andre Burakovsky is rumored to be in the lineup tonight, but it is unknown as to who will come out for him to replace.

     

    Keys to the Game:

    1. Play a full 60 minutes

    Last night the Capitals were outplayed and did not control the tempo very well, and going into tonight’s game, the Capitals will need to do that. The Buffalo Sabres are a much improved team and will be wanting to prove themselves against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Capitals have to be ready to play the full 60.

     

    2. Special teams needs to improve

    The Capitals need to stay out of the penalty box. Last night they took 6 penalties and the Carolina Hurricanes scored on three of them. The Capitals need to generate more powerplay opportunities for themselves as well, but with their powerplay they need to mix it up a bit. Get Tom Wilson out there a bit more, as he will create space on the powerplay. Also the Capitals need to get their penalty killing figured out. How they have performed lately is not acceptable.

     

  • December 5th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 5th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, December 5th, 2018, and these are your news and notes

     

    There were ten contests last night.

     

     

    FLORIDA 5, Boston 0

    Florida Panthers Jonathan Huberdeau is one of five players so far on the season to have multiple points in at least five contests.

     

    The Florida Panthers would go on to shutout the Boston Bruins 5-0, giving Roberto Luongo his 77th career shutout, taking sole possession of ninth place on the all-time list for shutouts by a goaltender.

     

     

    Winnipeg 3, NY ISLANDERS 1

     

    The Winnipeg Jets would score three unanswered goals, all in the final period, to defeat the New York Islanders last night.  Winnipeg’s win would be their fourth consecutive win.

     

    New York Islanders Anders Lee would register the lone goal of the contest for his team.

     

     

    PITTSBURGH 6, Colorado 3

     

    Pittsburgh Penguins F Patric Hornqvist would score a hat-trick in this contest in a short span of 2:43, the quickest ever in franchise history, and the Penguins would double up the Colorado Avalanche by the score of 6-3.

     

     

    Calgary 9, COLUMBUS 6

     

    In the Columbus Blue Jackets loss, Cam Atkinson would become the second player to register a point streak of at least 11 contests.

     

    Cam Atkinson would also register a hat-trick and would surpass Rick Nash for the most hat-tricks in franchise history.

     

     

    In this contest, the Calgary Flames would register nine goals in a contest for the 55th time in franchise history but for the first time in nearly eight years.

     

     

    The Flames and Blue Jackets would combine for 15 goals, the most since January 16, 2017, when the Penguins would defeat the Capitals 8-7 in overtime.

     

     

     

    MONTREAL 5, Ottawa 2

     

    Tampa Bay 6, DETROIT 5 (SO)

    Frans Nielsen of the Detroit Red Wings would score a hat trick in the contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the second of his career.

    Nielsen would be the first Red Wing to have two career hat tricks since Tomas Tatar on December 17, 2016.

     

    Toronto 4, BUFFALO 3 (OT)

     

    TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs contributor, Steve Gardiner, has your full coverage of the contest between the Maple Leafs and Sabres at the following page.

     

    12/05/2018 – Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres – Game Recap

     

    Minnesota 3, VANCOUVER 2

     

    The Minnesota Wild would score two goals in 45 seconds to snap a three-game losing streak with the 3-2 win at the Vancouver Canucks last night.

     

     

    VEGAS 5, Washington 3

    Cody Eakin of the Vegas Golden Knights scored his 11th goal of the season, leading all skaters for Vegas in the 5-3 win over the Washington Capitals.

     

    Washington’s Alex Ovechkin would reach the 20-goal mark for the third time in fewer than 27 games on the season.  He has scored at least 51 goals in the other two occurrences of this feat.

    For full coverage of the contest between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights, please go to the following page.

     

    Game Recap – 12/4/2018 – Washington Capitals v. Vegas Golden Knights

    Arizona 2, LOS ANGELES 1

     

     

    Tonight in the NHL…

    Image courtesy of the NHL Public Relations and the NHL

     

    In the NWHL…

    The NWHL held their All-Star Game Draft earlier today with captains Shannon Szabados and Lee Stecklein picking their squads for the NWHL All-Star Game that will be in Nashville, Tennessee.

    The 2019 NWHL All-Star Game will be on Sunday, February 10th, 2019 at Bridgestone Arena and will take place following the NHL match-up between the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues.

     

    Team Szabados:

    Team Stecklein:

     

    In NHL news…

     

    In case you missed the big news yesterday, the NHL announced that the League will expand to 32 teams with the addition of a franchise to Seattle.

     

    Elliotte Friedman released his “31 Thoughts” article today.  You can check that out at the following page.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1070351730305449989

  • 12/05/2018 – Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres – Game Recap

    12/05/2018 – Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres – Game Recap

    Transaction Update: Leafs traded Winger Josh Leivo to the Vancouver Canucks for Phil Carcone 

    Toronto Maple Leafs (20-8-0 40pts) v, Buffalo Sabres (17-8-4 38pts)

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Kasperi Kapanen – Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares– Zach Hyman

    Andreas Johnsson – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown

    Tyler Ennis– Frederik Gauthier – Andreas Johnsson

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Buffalo:

    Jeff Skinner – Jack Eichel – Sam Reinhart

    Tage Thompson – Casey Middlestadt– Kyle Okposo

    Conor Sheary – Evan Rodrigues – Vladimir Sobotka

    Patrick Berglund – Johan Larsson – Zemgus Girgensons

     

    Lawrence Pilut – Rasmus Ristolainen

    Rasmus Dahlin – Zach Bogosian

    Nathan Beaulieu – Casey Nelson

     

    Carter Hutton

    Linus Ullmark
    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jason Pominville, Marco Scandella

    Suspension: None
    Gameday:

    First Period:

    No Scoring or Penalties

    End of 1st – TML –0        BUF – 0

    Shots              7                     14

    Faceoffs     14/22              8/22

    Hits               4                     5

    PP                 0/0                   0/0

     

    Analysis

    Leafs came out flat to start this one. With Buffalo pouring on the pressure for the first 5 or 6 minutes. But Andersen stood tall as normal shutting the door hard. Keeping the game at 0-0 through the first period.

    Need to Do:

    Get your legs moving, force the Sabres to skate and play defence.

    Second Period:

    Leafs Goal–08:33 – Auston Matthews (14), assisted by Ron Hainsey (9)

    Leafs Penalty – 11:19 –Conor Brown, 2 mins for Interference

    Sabres Penalty –11:39 – Tage Thompson, 2 mins for Hooking

    Sabres Goal– 14:01– Sam Reinhart (8), assisted by Nathan Beaulieu (3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (13)

    Leafs Goal– 19:50– Jake Gardiner (2), assisted by John Tavares (14) and Mitch Marner (33)

    End of 2nd – TML – 2          BUF – 1

    Shots              17                    26

    Faceoffs       28/44              16/44

    Hits              8                      10

    PP                 0/1                    0/1

     

    Analysis:

    Leafs came out to play in this period, despite some bad turnovers the Leafs took lead with Auston Matthews 14th of the season and reclaimed the lead with 59 seconds left in the 2nd with a beautiful tic tac toe play by Mitch Marner and John Tavares which lead to Jake Gardiner putting his 2nd of the season in the net.

    Need to Do:

    Keep pressuring but don’t sacrifice too much defence for offence.

     

     

    Third Period:

    Sabres Goal– 02:39 – Jack Eichel (6) assisted by Rasmus Ristolainen(14) and Jeff Skinner (9)

    Sabres Penalty –07:16 – Tage Thompson, 2 mins for Hooking

    Leafs Penalty –08:44 – Patrick Marleau, 2 mins for Interference

    Sabres Goal– 12:57 – Jack Eichel (7) assisted by Sam Reinhart(16)

    Leafs Goal – 14:47 – Patrick Marleau (7) assisted by Morgan Rielly(21) and Auston Matthews(8)

    End of 3rd – TML – 3        BUF – 3

    Shots             27                   37

    Faceoffs     36/64                28/64

    Hits               10                       13

    PP                0/2                    0/2

     

    Analysis:

    Both teams applied pressure offer for the whole 3rd with Eichel scoring twice to take the lead then Marleau with under 5 minutes in the game to tie it.

    Overtime:

    Leafs Goal – 04:57 – Auston Matthews (15) assisted by Kasperi Kapanen(9) and Jake Gardiner(11)

    End of OT – TML – 4        BUF – 3

    Shots              30                   41

    Faceoffs     39/66                29/66

    Hits               11                       14

    PP                0/2                    0/2

    Next Up:

    Detroit (12-12-4 28pts) vs Toronto (20-8-0 40pts)

    Philadelphia (11-12-2 24pts) at Buffalo (17-8-4 38pts)

    .

     

  • December 4th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 4th, 2018 — News and Notes

     

    Today is Tuesday, December 4th, 2018, and these are your news and notes…

     

     

    Tampa Bay 5, NEW JERSEY 1

    The Tampa Bay Lightning would win their 20th game on the season, becoming the sixth franchise to have 20 wins in consecutive seasons.

    NASHVILLE 2, Buffalo 1

    The Nashville Predators for the ninth time this season held an opponent to no more than one goal in a contest, which includes three shutouts.  Nashville would hand Buffalo a loss with the 2-1 win.

     

    DALLAS 4, Edmonton 1

    In the Dallas Stars 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers, all four goals by Dallas were scored by different players in the contest.

     

    Today’s Schedule:

     

    In NHL News today…

    The NHL Department of Player Safety announced yesterday that Detroit Red Wings F Tyler Bertuzzi has been suspended for two games for unsportsmanlike conduct/roughing in Sunday’s contest between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche.

     

    The NHL today officially awarded Seattle an expansion franchise to begin play in the 2021-22 season.

    The Seattle franchise will be the 32nd in the NHL and will be placed in the Pacific Division.  The Arizona Coyotes will be relocated to the Central Division, giving a full balance between all divisions and conferences.

     

    For Full coverage of the NHL’s expansion to Seattle…


    Elliotte Friedman would release a bonus episode of his “31 Thoughts” podcast yesterday.

     

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1069673708011298816

  • Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres – 04-12-2018 – Game Day Preview

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres – 04-12-2018 – Game Day Preview

    Gameday Preview:  Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres

    Time: Tuesday, December 4th,  2018

    Toronto: 19-8-0 for 38 points

    Buffalo:17-8-3 for 37 points

    The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres meet in a tilt between 2 of the top eastern conference teams. Buffalo flying up the standings the last few months, while the Leafs have kept strong despite injuries and contract holdouts of two of their top players..

    Top Scorers/Goalie Matchup

    Mitch Marner – 38 points (6 goals 32 assists)
    John Tavares – 30 points (17 goals 13 assists) 49% on face-offs
    Morgan Rielly – 29 points (9 goals 20 assists)
    Auston Matthews – 20 points (13 goals 7 assists) 53% on Face-offs)

    Jack Eichel – 32 points (5 goals 27 assists)
    Jeff Skinner- 28 points (20 goal 8 assists)
    Sam Reinhart– 22 points (7 goal 15 assist)
    Jason Pominville – 18 points (9 goal 9 assists)

    Frederik Andersen
    15-7-0 2.30GAA .931SV%

    Linus Ullmark
    5-0-2 2.57GAA .927SV%

    Lineups:

    Toronto:

    Kasperi Kapanen – Auston Matthews – Patrick Marleau

    Mitch Marner – John Tavares– Zach Hyman

    Andreas Johnsson – Nazem Kadri – Connor Brown

    Tyler Ennis – Pars Lindholm – Josh Leivo

     

    Morgan Rielly  – Ron Hainsey

    Jake Gardiner – Nikita Zaitsev

    Travis Dermott – Igor Ozhiganov

     

    Frederik Andersen

    Garrett Sparks

    Scratched: Justin Holl & Martin Marincin

    Injuries: Nathan Horton (Back)

    Suspension: None

     

    Buffalo:

    Jeff Skinner – Jack Eichel – Sam Reinhart

    Tage Thompson – Casey Middlestadt– Kyle Okposo

    Remi Elie – Evan Rodrigues – Vladimir Sobotka

    Patrick Berglund – Johan Larsson – Zemgus Girgensons

     

    Rasmus Dahlin – Zach Bogosian

    Lawrence Pilot – Rasmus Ristolainen

    Nathan Beaulieu – Casey Nelson

     

    Linus Ullmark

    Carter Hutton

     

    Scratched: None

    Injuries: Jason Pominville, Marco Scandella and Conor Sheary

    Suspension: None

    Keys to Winning against Buffalo:

    1. Stay Out of the Box
      1. Buffalo has a good powerplay, it will burn you.
    2. Win faceoffs
      1. Winning faceoffs means more puck possession
    3. Kadri
      1. Something has got to give with Nazem Kadri, so far he has been held goal-less this season and he is what drives that 3rd Need to find a way to get him going.
    4. Force the Sabres to take penalties
      1. One of the top powerplays in the league we need to keep it in the game.