Calgary Flames (5-13-3) at Buffalo Sabres (7-8-4)
Puck Drop: 7:30 PM | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, New York
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Calgary Flames
Record: 5-13-4 | 14 PTS
Division Ranking: 8th in Pacific Division
Last Game: 5-2 Loss vs Chicago
PP: 32nd (12.7%) | Sabres Rank: 23rd (17.2%)
PK: 18th (78.6%) | Sabres Rank: 1st (89.7%)
What to Watch
1. Home Cooking
The Sabres have done well playing in front of their fans this season. They have a 6-3-2 home record so far including an impressive win against Edmonton on Monday. There seems to be a trend with their wins. When they score more than one goal, they are 6-0-1, but they are 0-3-1 when they score one or less. The mandate is clear: the team must score more than two goals to find success. Who would have thought scoring goals was a key to success? Look for Thompson to assist in this endeavor as he has goals in 3 straight games and 4 in his last 5.
2. Hold the Line
Buffalo got some positive news on the injury front with the return of Zack Benson at this morning’s practice. Lindy Ruff said that he could return in a “short period of time.” Additionally, it looks like Jason Zucker is finally feeling better and is expected to be available Friday. The returns of both these players will be helpful to a forward group ravaged by injuries. As they are not quite ready, the current group needs to hold out a little longer before reinforcements arrive. If they can put together a similar team effort to what they showed on Monday, they might not remain in the Eastern Conference cellar for long.
3. Kick Them While They’re Down
The Calgary Flames are in the midst of a brutal start to the season. They have lost 5 of their last 6 with a record of 1-4-1. In those games, they have been outscored 17-9. This stretch has landed them in the basement of the entire league. By comparison, Buffalo is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference but has 5 more points in two less games than the Flames. Calgary also played lost to Chicago last night. This is a must win for Buffalo. They are hosting an inferior opponent that played and traveled the night before. If the Sabres can jump on them early, Calgary will be hard pressed to find the will for a comeback.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Doan – Thompson – Tuch
Rosen – McLeod – Quinn
Greenway – Kozak – Krebs
Dunne – Ostlund – Malenstyn
Defense
Samuelsson – Dahlin
Power – Bryson
Byram – Timmins
Starter: Ellis
Calgary Flames
Forwards
Huberdeau – Frost – Coronato
Sharangovich – Kadri – Farabee
Zary – Backlund – Coleman
Lomberg – Morton – Klapka
Defense
Bahl – Andersson
Kuznetsov – Weegar
Bean – Pachal
Starter: Cooley
