This is the fifth meeting between the teams this season. So far, the Sabres have gone 3-0-1 against the Canadiens. Buffalo have finished each game with exactly three goals, but have kept Montreal at two or less three times.
The Sabres are coming off of a shootout win in Ottawa after trailing three times during the game. Tyler Ennis finished off Ben Bishop in the Senators, giving Buffalo a much needed pair of points.
“It was good to see us get pucks to the net, and we got a couple of nice bounces and that comes from just putting the puck in good areas,” Ryan Miller said. “They all count and they were a little bit dirtier. We needed it.” – NHL.com
A win tonight could move the Sabres into 9th place and just two points behind the Capitals. With Washington and Winnipeg idle tonight, Buffalo can just worry about getting the win.
Montreal have just welcomed back Andrei Markov, who played his first game in almost 16 months.
“I felt good,” Markov said. “The first few shifts, I had to adjust to the speed, but after that I felt good. It’s going to take some time. I need a little bit more time to realize the speed of the game and to read the game.” – NHL.com.
Max Pacioretty has 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in the past five games. He also has five points in four games against Buffalo this year. Derek Roy leads the Sabres with five points (1 G, 4 A) against Montreal this season.
Tonight’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.