Main storyline: The Buffalo Sabres (19-43-7) are back on the road following a 4-3 shootout loss on Monday night at home to the Washington Capitals. On Tuesday, it is a St. Patrick’s Day matchup in Boston as the Sabres take on the wild card hopeful Bruins at the TD Bank Garden.
Season series: This game is the fourth and final meeting between the division rivals. Boston has won all three games thus far, but the past two games of the series have gone to overtime. The most recent game between the Sabres and Bruins came back on December 21 when Loui Eriksson scored the game winning goal in overtime at home in Boston to give the Bruins a 4-3 win.
Where they stand: Even though the Sabres grabbed a point from the Capitals, the Edmonton Oilers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday to move another point ahead of Buffalo. The Sabres remain in 30th place in the NHL, and are now five points behind not only the Oilers, but also the Arizona Coyotes who lost to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday as well. For the Bruins, the team clings on to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins, however, remain five points ahead of the Ottawa Senators who are the closest team to the Bruins in the East.
Recent performance: The Sabres were looking to rebound from a 2-0 loss on Saturday against the Capitals on Monday night. The Sabres held the lead on two different occasions, until the third period when Evgeny Kuznetsov gave the Capitals a 3-2 lead. With 6:10 left in the third period, Sabres forward Johan Larsson tipped a shot from recently recalled defenseman Chad Ruhwedel that found its way into the net to tie the game. In the shootout, Kuznetsov scored the only goal to give the Capitals the 4-3 win. For the Bruins, they fell 2-0 on Sunday at the hands of the Capitals in Washington. Tuukka Rask made 36 saves on 38 shots faced, but could not help the Bruins get on the scoresheet at all against Washington.
Buffalo notes: Even with the Sabres struggles this season, Monday night’s game against the Capitals was one of the team’s best performances in some time. The Sabres have been getting some great play from newly appointed top-line center Johan Larsson. In the past seven games for Larsson, he has registered three goals and three assists with 13 shots on goal. Larsson’s ice-time has increased and has become a nice addition to the net front presence on the powerplay. In addition to Larsson, Buffalo’s top line of Moulson-Larsson-Ennis has been Buffalo’s best line for the past few games. For the other three lines, the chemistry and ice-times continue to fluctuate. Anders Lindback has played in every game since the NHL Trade Deadline on March 2, and looks to be the started again for the Sabres in net on Tuesday.
Boston notes: Before being shut out by the Capitals on Sunday, the Bruins were winners of five straight games to separate themselves from everyone else contending for a potential playoff position in the East. After a rough start to the season, the Bruins have gone 19-9-7 since the December 21 meeting with the Sabres. Patrice Bergeron continues to lead the way for the Bruins with 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists) this year, and is followed in the stats department by Dougie Hamilton with 40 points (10 goals, 30 assists). Tucker Rask has also been a big part of staying in contention for the playoffs, as Rask has 29 wins for the team and has sported a 2.26 goals against average and a .924 save-percentage. Rask will continue to be heavily relied on for the Bruins as the team makes its push towards the post season. However, Rask will get the night off as Niklas Svedberg will start for the Bruins on Tuesday.
Conclusion: The winless streak for the Sabres has extended to seven games, and the Sabres hope to have the luck of the Irish on its side on the road in Boston. Opening face-off Tuesday is scheduled for 7:30pm, and the game can be seen on NBCSN.