⏰ 8 p.m. ? MSG ? WGR550
The Sabres kick off a three-game road trip against the Winnipeg Jets tonight at 8 p.m. Both teams are currently riding a three game winning streak, but if Buffalo wins tonight, it will be their first four-game winning streak since December 9-14th, 2014.
Buffalo (10-6-2) and Winnipeg (11-5-1) have similar records this season. Winnipeg sits at 23 points through 17 games, while Buffalo sits at 22 through 18 and both teams are 4-1-0 in recent competition.
Season series:
This is the 62nd meeting between the teams. Winnipeg has won 34 to Buffalo’s 26. They also tied on one occasion. The Jets took both meetings last season with wins of 7-4 and 4-3.
Buffalo notes:
Jeff Skinner is within one point of 400 in his career. The center scored his 13th goal of the season Tuesday, still sitting as the second player in the league in terms of goals. He has 20 points in 18 games.
Critics have talked about how the Sabres have been crafty in their wins and also how they have not been as exciting to watch in recent years.
“I don’t think we played our best game (Tuesday) night, but we found a way to win and that’s what good teams do,” Buffalo defenseman Zach Bogosian told reporters Wednesday. “We try not to dwell on the past, but maybe that one wouldn’t have happened in the past.”
Winnipeg notes:
Forward Blake Wheeler extended his point streak to 11 games with an assist against the Capitals on Wednesday, and now has 21 assists. Winnipeg entered Thursday leading the NHL in power-play percentage (34 percent). The Jets have scored on the power play in 14 of their 17 games this season and 12 of their past 13 contests.
Starting goaltenders:
Backup goalie, Laurent Brossoit, will start in net for the Jets tonight, currently possessing a 3-0-0 record with a .957 save percentage and a 1.67 goals against average. While it is projected Carter Hutton will start for the Sabres, who has a current 7-6-0 record and a .916 save percentage amd a 2.64 goals against average. Last season, Hutton made 48 saves to shut out the Jets in his only meeting with them. In his career, he has played against Winnipeg in 10 games and has a record of 4-4-1 and a .993 save percentage.