⏰ 4 p.m. ? MSG ? WGR550
[In the first game after Thanksgiving, the Sabres will look to continue their ascent in the standings as they face off against the Montreal Canadiens. The Sabres have won seven straight games.
Season series: The Sabres are already 2-0 against the Canadiens in this young season. Their first game was at KeyBank Center back on October 25th when Kyle Okposo notched the game-winning power-play goal with about a minute left in regulation, leading to a 4-3 win. The latest victory came earlier this month in wild back-and-forth affair, where the Sabres pulled out a gutsy 6-5 win in overtime thanks to a Rasmus Ristolainen goal.
Buffalo notes: With seven straight wins, the Sabres sit among the top five teams in the NHL. They’re also 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. Jeff Skinner has continued to pile up goals, notching his 15th last game against the Flyers, which puts him in a tie for second place in the league. The Sabres penalty kill (82.5 PK%) has also quietly snuck into the top five as well.
Montreal notes: Despite going 4-4-2 in their last 10, the Canadiens still find themselves in the second wild card position with 26 points. Max Domi, who has flourished playing against Buffalo in his career, continues to prove people wrong about his play. He leads his team in points with 26 and in goals with 11. Tomas Tatar has been a welcomed surprise as well with nine goals and 17 points.
Starting goaltenders: Both teams will have back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, so which goalies will get the start is uncertain. Linus Ullmark did get the start last game against the Habs, but Carter Hutton came in relief to finish and win the game. Carey Price’s struggles have been very noticeable of late and his numbers reflect it (3.17 GAA and .895 Sv%).