The Buffalo Sabres, still in search of their first win this season, host the Minnesota Wild, who have two wins in five games.
While it’s a normal trip for the Wild, things are different for ex-Sabres captain Jason Pominville, who enters the First Niagara Center as a visitor for the first time ever.
Pominville, who currently has 1 point (1 goal) on the season, seemed very happy to be back in Buffalo.
“It’s good to be back, a lot of great memories, a lot of good times,” said Pominville. “Just excited to get the game going.”
As many will keep an eye on Pominville, some thing else to look for throughout the game is the Wild’s power play vs. the Sabres’ penalty kill.
Minnesota currently ranks 5th in power play efficiency (30.4%) while Buffalo ranks 4th in penalty kill efficiency (90.4%). It will also be interesting to see how the Sabres penalty killers deal with Wild forward Zach Parise, who has scored 3 of his 4 goals on the power play.
The Wild find themselves currently led in scoring by Matt Cooke (3 goals, 2 assists), a statistic that may shock some.
Speaking of scoring goals, tonight has the potential to be a tough matchup for Sabres forwards. The Wild allow 2.20 goals per game, 6th best in the league, while the Sabres score a league-worst 1.00 goals per game.
In net, the Sabres will start Jhonas Enroth (0-1-1) and the Wild will start Josh Harding (2-1-0)
This game marks the first time that the Minnesota Wild have visited Buffalo since a 3-1 Sabres victory on March 24, 2012.
Puck drops just after 7:30 PM, and the game is being televised nationally on NBCSN.