⏰ 9 p.m. ? MSG ? WGR550
Intro: After finishing out their opening homestand with a 2-2 record, the Sabres are heading west for a five-game road trip as they take on the Arizona Coyotes, who will be wearing their throwback Kachina jerseys.
Season series: This will be the first meeting of the season between the Sabres and Coyotes. They will play one more time on Thursday December 13th in Buffalo.
Buffalo notes: After getting above the .500 mark for the first time in five years, the Sabres got steamrolled by the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, 6-1. Besides the score, the most shocking part of the night was the Sabres going 0-for-7 for the night on the power play after starting out the season 3-f0r-8. They did have a power play goal by Kyle Okposo called back due to goaltender interference late in the first period, but they had issues getting set up for much of the night. The one bright spot of the game was Rasmus Dahlin notching his first career NHL point as he had an assist on Nathan Beaulieu’s goal.
Arizona notes: The Coyotes are coming off of their first win of the season as they defeated the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout on Wednesday night. Not only was it their first win, they also scored for the first time this year as they were shut out in their first two games of the season. The Coyotes are in a similar situation that the Sabres have been in the last few years. They are a young team that is trying to learn how to win on a consistent basis in the NHL. The one bright spot for Arizona in the young season has been the play of goaltender Antti Raanta. He has started all three games for the Coyotes and has a 1.96 goals against average.
Starting goaltenders: After Carter Hutton started the first four games of the season, it is expected that Linus Ullmark will make his first appearance between the pipes for the Sabres this season. This is Ullmark’s first full season at the NHL level. Should Ullmark indeed get the call, it will be his 25th career NHL start and he will be looking for his 10th career win. Although Arizona backup Darcy Kuemper has yet to play this season, it is expected that Annti Raanta starts his fourth game of the season as the Coyotes have been off since Wednesday.
