The Sabres faceoff against the New York Rangers tonight for the second time this season – this game the second in a set of back-to-back games. Buffalo is coming off their most dominant performance in years, as they bulldozed over the Ottawa Senators, 9-2, yesterday in a matinee affair.
Season series: The Sabres collected their first win of this season against the Rangers on October 6th, a 3-1 victory on home ice. Conor Sheary notched two power play goals, but the star of the game was undoubtedly Carter Hutton. He made 43 saves and showcased for the first time just how vital he would be to this young and growing team. The next time the teams meet won’t be until February 15th at KeyBank Center.
Buffalo notes: The Sabres and their fans had plenty to cheer about last game. Prior to their 9-2 victory over Ottawa, they paid tribute to Jason Pominville’s 1000th game, which the team evidently rallied around. Pominville and his line’s success continued. He and Jeff Skinner each had two goals and an assist while Eichel tallied three assists. The Sabres finally got some secondary scoring as well – names like Girgensons, Berglund, Okposo, and Mittelstadt all got on the scoresheet.
New York notes: Though at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers have played better of late going 5-4-1 over their last 10 games. Their last two wins both came in shootouts over some Western Conference heavy hitters in San Jose and Anaheim. Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello are carrying most of the load in scoring, both with 10 points each.
Starting goaltenders: After Linus Ullmark started yesterday against Ottawa, expect Carter Hutton to get the start against New York. Henrik Lundqvist is expected in goal for the Rangers.