The first two legs of the Sabres’ California trip ended unfavorably for them; losing 5-1 to Anaheim on Wednesday and being shutout 2-0 by the Kings on Thursday. The Sabres will look to rebound on Saturday night when they travel to San Jose to take on the Sharks. This is the first of two meetings between the clubs.
The Sabres have historically performed well against the Sharks, having won the last six meetings of the clubs, however this a drastically different roster than the one that downed the Sharks this past February.
While it seems simple, the Sabres need to desperately need to find the back of the net if they are going to come out on top of this game. The Sabres have been shutout three out of the their last four games and have not created many quality chances in any of those contests. Tyler Ennis leads the team with three goals, and is going to be counted on to finish chances should they come.
If there were going to be a position the Sabres considered their strongest it would be the goal-tending of Jhonas Enroth. In six games this season, Enroth has managed a 3.13 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Given the circumstances (222 shots faced, 38 shots faced per game, and roughly 15 minutes shorthanded per game) it is reassuring that Enroth has been able to perform at a moderately high level. If the Sabres are going to beat a high powered team like the Sharks, Enroth must be on the top of his game.
The Sharks picked up this year where they left off last regular season, posting a 4-1 record through their first five games. Since then the Sharks have dropped three straight, all to Eastern Conference teams.
San Jose will need to gain some consistency in the net to be successful against a Sabres team that is likely to throw any puck possible on net. Much like the Sharks as a whole, Niemi and Stalock have struggled since the 4-1 start. Of the two, Stalock has been the most reliable option for the Sharks. He has posted a .933 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average in three games. Stalock is expected to start against the Sabres on Saturday.
The puck drops at 4:00 pm EST and can be seen on MSG.