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LAST GAME
Sunday, February 10
Boston 3 at Buffalo 1
Goals: Ennis
Goalie: Miller (36 saves/38 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 4/5; Shots: Boston 39 – Buffalo 26
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 38)
Ville Leino (lower body, Jan. 20; injured reserve) – 13 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
2/8 Returned D Adam Pardy to Rochester (AHL)
2/9 Activated LW Patrick Kaleta from IR
2/10 Activated D Robyn Regehr from IR; Placed LW Matt Ellis on waivers
2/11 Loaned LW Matt Ellis to Rochester (AHL)
UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Feb. 15 Boston at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 17 Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 19 Winnipeg at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 21 Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 23 NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at SENATORS
-This is the second of four meetings between the Sabres and Senators this season.
-Last meeting: Ottawa defeated Buffalo, 4-3, in Ottawa on Feb. 5.
-The teams next meet on Saturday, March 16 in Buffalo.
-The Sabres are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games vs. the Senators; 6-4-0 on the road.
-This is the 114th game all-time between Buffalo and Ottawa; Buffalo leads the series with a 56-41-16 record. Buffalo is 26-22-10 on the road against the Senators all-time.
THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 4-7-6 all-time on Feb. 12. Their last game on this date was a 5-1 win at OTT on Feb. 12, 2008.
- Feb. 12, 2008: Thomas Vanek scored his first career hat trick and Ryan Miller stopped 25 of 26 shots, leading the Sabres to a 5-1 win at OTT.
STORYLINES
- The Sabres will attempt to win consecutive road games for the first time since they won three straight from March 19 to March 27, 2012.
- Buffalo plays Northeast division opponents in eight of their 10 games from Jan. 29 to Feb. 15. The team is 3-3-1 against the Northeast so far this season.
- Tyler Ennis has 10 points (5+5) in 10 career games against Ottawa, including points in each of his last six (4+3) against the Senators.
- Defenseman Jordan Leopold led all Sabres with three goals and six points against the Senators last season. Leopold recorded two points (1+1) in the teams’ first meeting this season on Feb. 5.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
After tonight’s game, the Sabres will have their first two-day break since Jan. 22-23 before hosting the Bruins on Feb. 15… The Sabres rank third in the Eastern Conference with 38 goals (2.92 per game)… Dating back to last season, Thomas Vanek has 34 points (13+21) in his last 22 games.
HOW THEY STACK UP (Sabres ranked in the top 10 in the NHL entering play 2/11)
Thomas Vanek: 23 points (1st), 11 goals (1st), 12 assists (T-4th), 4 power play goals (T-4th), 1 shorthanded goal (T-2nd), 45 shots (T-7th)
Jason Pominville: 14 points (T-10th), 6 goals (T-10th)
Steve Ott: 45 hits (T-2nd)
Marcus Foligno: 6 assists (T-2nd, rookies), 7 points (T-4th, rookies), 15 PIM (T-4th, rookies)
MILESTONES
- Tonight is Jochen Hecht’s 800th NHL game, making him the 66th active NHL skater to reach that mark. His plus-93 career rating bests all but 16 of those other 65 players. Playing in his 580th game for the Sabres, Hecht ranks 17th all-time in games played for the franchise.
- Jordan Leopold will appear in his 600th NHL game tonight. Leopold is in his third season with the Sabres after spending time in Calgary, Colorado, Florida and Pittsburgh.
NORTHEAST DIVISION
The Sabres were 13-6-5 against the Northeast division last season and have started this season 3-3-1 against their divisional rivals. Buffalo’s intra-division points percentage (.649) in 2011-12 tied for the eighth-best in franchise history. Buffalo plays Northeast division opponents in eight of their 10 games from Jan. 29 to Feb. 15.
STRIKING WHILE THE IRON’S HOT
Thomas Vanek has recorded at least one point in 10 of the 12 games he’s appeared in this season, including six multi-point games, giving him a league-leading 23 points (11+12).
RISING IN THE RECORD BOOKS
With a goal Feb. 5 at OTT, Jason Pominville passed Alexander Mogilny (444) for 12th-most points in Sabres history. Pominville’s assist on Buffalo’s first goal Feb. 3 vs. FLA tied Mike Foligno (264) for 10th-most assists in Sabres history.
DYNAMIC DUOS
Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville have each recorded a point on the same goal 10 times this season, tying for third-most by an NHL duo this season. They were the seventh-most prolific pair last season, combining on 39 goals. Vanek and Cody Hodgson have also combined on 10 goals.
LINDY’S LONGEVITY
Since Lindy Ruff was named Buffalo’s head coach on July 21, 1997, there have been 170 coaching changes in the NHL. Ruff is the second-longest tenured coach in the four major professional sports leagues. Only Gregg Popovich, who began coaching the San Antonio Spurs in 1996, has been head coach of his team longer. Ruff has 570 wins as head coach of the Sabres, second-most by a head coach with a single franchise, trailing only Al Arbour (740). Ruff has more wins than any other coach with his first NHL team.
BUF-OTT CONNECTIONS
BUF C Cody Hodgson, BUF D Tyler Myers, BUF C Tyler Ennis and OTT D Erik Karlsson were all drafted in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Hodgson was the 10th overall pick, Myers was the 12th overall pick, Karlsson was selected 15th overall and Ennis was drafted with the 26th overall pick.
BUF D Christian Ehrhoff played with OTT LW Milan Michalek on the San Jose Sharks from 2003-2009.
Michalek was a first-round draft pick in 2003 NHL Entry Draft along with BUF LW Thomas Vanek. Vanek, selected by Buffalo, was the fifth overall pick while Michalek, selected by San Jose, was the sixth overall pick.
BUF D Andrej Sekera and OTT C Peter Regin were both selected in the third round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Sekera, selected by Buffalo, was the 71st overall pick while Regin, selected by Ottawa, was the 81st overall pick.
BUF D Robyn Regehr and OTT C Jason Spezza both represented Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino.
BUF D Jordan Leopold and OTT D Sergei Gonchar were teammates on the 2009-10 Pittsburgh Penguins.
BUF C Cody McCormick and OTT C Mika Zibanejad were both born on April 18. McCormick, born in 1983, is exactly 10 years older than Zibanejad, who was born in 1993.
Zibanejad and BUF G Jhonas Enroth were both born in Stockholm, Sweden.
MacLean also coached current Sabres AC Teppo Numminen when he was an assistant for the 1996-97 Phoenix Coyotes.
BUF C Jochen Hecht and OTT D Marc Methot were both born on June 21. Hecht, born in 1977, is eight years older than Methot, who was born in 1985.
BUF C Cody Hodgson and OTT C Jason Spezza were both born in Toronto.
SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK]
1-10: 3-6-1 (7), 30/37, 6/36, 32/40
11-20: 2-1-0 (4), 9/9, 1/12, 10/12
OVERTIME RESULTS (0-1; 93-92 all-time)
January 29 vs. Toronto L, 4-3 (GWG-Frattin, 4:58)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-0; 44-37 all-time)
February 7 vs. Montreal W, 5-4 (GDG-Pominville)
MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Jochen Hecht … 1 game … 800 career games played
Jordan Leopold … 1 game … 600 career games played
Assists
Jason Pominville … 1 assist … 265 career assists (sole possession, 10th in franchise history)
Points
Jordan Leopold … 2 points … 200 career points
Ville Leino … 2 points … 100 career points
RECENT MILESTONES
Tyler Ennis … 100 career points … 2/7 vs. MTL
Alexander Sulzer … 100 career games played … 2/9 at NYI
