The Buffalo Sabres are set to welcome the Vancouver Canucks to First Niagara Center tonight for the teams’ second meeting on the season.
Buffalo comes into the contest fresh off a bittersweet road victory in Columbus, where the Sabres scored four goals for just the second time in 2015, but also skated away without their top two forwards. Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons were both lost to injuries, and although Ennis could return to the lineup as early as next week, initial reports on Girgensons are much more dire. The “Latvian Locomotive” could potentially be out for the rest of the year after taking a slap shot to the ankle against the Blue Jackets.
Ennis and Girgensons’ absence takes away what has been, statistically, more than a quarter of the team’s offense. They’ve combined for 30 for Buffalo’s 107 goals thus far this season. Neither has missed a game this year prior to this evening’s contest.
The Canucks have also been stricken by the injury bug. Tonight would have seen former Sabres great Ryan Miller return to the ice in Buffalo for the first time since being traded to the St. Louis Blues nearly a year ago, but Miller is now expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a lower body injury after his teammate Jannik Hansen accidentally ran into him in the crease during their Sunday night contest against the New York Islanders. Miller flew back to Vancouver to undergo an MRI while goaltender Jacob Markstrom was called up from Vancouver’s AHL affiliate the Utica Comets.
Miller has had strong season with the Canucks, earning 28 wins and 6 shutouts before he went down due to the injury.
Either Markstrom or the Canucks’ normal backup Eddie Lack will face Buffalo tonight. Lack has played exceptionally since Miller went down, stopping 67 of 68 shots thrown his way over the course of two games. The 27-year-old Swede has had an admirable sophomore season in the NHL, currently compiling a 7-7-2 record that boasts a 2.41 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.
Tonight will continue a trend of the Sabres squaring off against their opposition’s backup goaltender. Although Vancouver has no choice in the matter, the Sabres have been pitted against the Plan B in net 28 times this season. Buffalo has gone 12-13-3 in those games.
Puck drop for this evening’s game is scheduled is 7:00 PM EST from First Niagara Center. Fans can catch the action on MSG or listen in through WGR 550.