There is no rest for the weary. After rallying late in the third period and winning in overtime against the Senators on Wednesday night, the Sabres are right back in action against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Sabres completed their four game homestand by earning all eight points and moving up to 23rd in the standings. They’ve now won four straight games as well as 10 of their past 13. They’ve made the trip to Winnipeg and will look to keep the momentum going against a team that has already beaten them once this season.
“We’re starting to get the contributions from everyone,” coach Ted Nolan said. “On any given shift someone can get one for us and we’re not looking for one line or one set of defensemen, it’s a whole. It’s a whole team, which is a good sign.”
Tonight marks the final meeting between the Sabres and Jets. Winnipeg defeated Buffalo by a 2-1 score back at the First Niagara Center a couple of weeks ago.
The Jets are coming off a a pair of losses, but have had a couple of days off since then. They fell 4-3 in overtime to the Avalanche on Thursday and dropped a 4-1 decision to the Ducks on Saturday. The Jets sit in the middle of the Central Division with a 15-10-6 record.
“Everything we do when we’re playing good, we have to do even better when we’re playing against a top team,” Little said. “I don’t know if we change our game, if we try to do too much or too little, but that’s something we need to figure out. If we’re going to have a shot at this thing, we need to figure out how to beat the top teams in the League.”
Ondrej Pavelec is expected to get the start in goal for Winnipeg while Michal Neuvirth is likely to get the nod for Buffalo this evening.
Mikhail Grigorenko has been called up from Rochester and will get the start tonight.
Tonight’s game is scheduled for 8 p.m. and can be seen on MSG.