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LAST GAME
Tuesday, February 12
Buffalo 0 at Ottawa 2
Goals: N/A
Goalie: Miller (29 saves/31 shots)
PP: 0/4; PK: 8/8; Shots: Buffalo 42 – Ottawa 31
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 39)
Ville Leino (lower body, Jan. 20; injured reserve) – 14 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
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
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.
Tuesday, Feb. 26 Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
BRUINS at SABRES
-This is the third of five meetings between the Sabres and Bruins this season.
-Last meeting: Boston defeated Buffalo, 3-1, in Buffalo on Feb. 10.
-The teams next meet on Sunday, March 31 in Buffalo.
-The Sabres are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games vs. the Bruins; 5-2-3 at home.
-This is the 266th game all-time between Buffalo and Boston; Buffalo has a 115-110-40 series record; Buffalo is 70-42-21 all-time against the Bruins at home.
THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 8-4-2 all-time on Feb. 15. Their last game on this date was a 3-2 shootout win at MTL on Feb. 15, 2011. With the win, Jhonas Enroth became the first NHL goaltender to earn his first three career wins via the shootout.
- Feb. 15, 1996: The Sabres traded Craig Muni and a1996 first-round draft pick (Daniel Briere) — acquired in a three-team trade in November 1995 involving San Jose, Philadelphia, and Buffalo — in exchange for Darryl Shannon and Michal Grosek.
STORYLINES
- The Sabres have faced the Bruins more than any other team in franchise history, with 265 games played between the two clubs. They are 4-1-1 in their last six home games vs. BOS and 17-3-5 (.780) at home against the Bruins since the 2005-06 season.
- Buffalo has played Northeast division opponents in eight of their 10 games since Jan. 29. The team is 3-4-1 against the Northeast so far this season.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- The Sabres are coming off their first two-day break since Jan. 22-23; the next is Feb. 24-25.
- Buffalo is in the midst of an eight-game stretch without any back-to-back games; it is the longest such stretch of the season.
- Dating back to last season, Thomas Vanek has 34 points (13+21) in his last 23 games.
- Buffalo’s power play is 6-for-22 (27.3%) at home, ranking second in the Eastern Conference behind only Tampa Bay (40.6%) entering play Thursday.
- Jason Pominville has been held without a point in consecutive home games for the first time since Feb. 25 and Feb. 26, 2011. He hasn’t gone without a point in three straight home games since Nov. 20 to Nov. 26, 2010.
- Buffalo was shut out on Tuesday at OTT, snapping a 44-game scoring streak for the Sabres; the streak was the longest since the Sabres went 63 games with at least one goal from Jan. 1 to Nov. 19, 2008.
HOW THEY STACK UP (Sabres ranked in the top 10 in the NHL entering play on 2/14)
Thomas Vanek: 23 points (1st), 11 goals (1st), 12 assists (T-5th), 4 power play goals (T-4th), 1 shorthanded goal (T-2nd), 51 shots (7th)
Steve Ott: 48 hits (T-2nd)
Marcus Foligno: 6 assists (T-2nd, rookies), 7 points (T-5th, rookies), 19 PIM (T-2nd, rookies)
NORTHEAST DIVISION
The Sabres were 13-6-5 against the Northeast division last season and have started this season 3-4-1 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.
BESTING THE BRUINS
Thomas Vanek’s career numbers of 54 points (28+26) in 47 games against Boston represent his highest goal and point totals against any NHL team. Vanek recorded five points (3+2) the first time these teams met this season, a 7-4 Buffalo road win on Jan. 31. According to Elias Sports Bureau, his 54 points against the Bruins tie Saku Koivu for fourth among all active skaters in the NHL:
NAME GP G A PTS PTS/GP G/GP
Jaromir Jagr 70 32 58 90 1.29 0.46
Daniel Alfredsson 81 26 42 68 0.84 0.32
Alex Kovalev 84 35 33 68 0.81 0.42
Thomas Vanek 47 28 26 54 1.15 0.60
Saku Koivu 64 15 39 54 0.84 0.23
Vincent Lecavalier 47 20 29 49 1.04 0.43
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 and his next assist will give him sole possession of 10th place in franchise 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 entering play Thursday. 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-BOS CONNECTIONS
BUF LW Nathan Gerbe and BOS LW Chris Bourque played together for the United States during the 2006 World Junior Championship in Vancouver.
BUF LW Thomas Vanek and BOS RW Nathan Horton were both selected in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Horton was selected 3rd overall, and Vanek was taken 5th overall.
BUF D Jordan Leopold and BOS RW Nathan Horton were teammates for the Florida Panthers during the 2009-10 season.
BOS C David Krejci was selected 63rd overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, eight spots ahead of BUF D Andrej Sekera.
BUF G Jhonas Enroth, D Mike Weber and BOS LW Milan Lucic were all selected in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Enroth was taken 46th overall, Lucic was taken 50th overall and Weber was selected 57th overall.
Daniel Paille was a part of the Sabres’ organization from 2002-2009. He was selected in the first round, 20th overall by the Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He played 195 games for the Sabres, recording 77 points (35+42). He played 153 games for the Rochester Americans, where he also recorded 77 points (35+42).
BOS C Rich Peverley and BUF D Alexander Sulzer played parts of two seasons together. They both played for the Milwaukee Admirals during the 2007-08 season, and they were also members of the 2008-09 Nashville Predators.
BOS D Johnny Boychuk and BUF C Cody McCormick played together for four seasons in the American Hockey League. They played for the Hershey Bears for the 2004-05 season, the Lowell Lock Monsters during the 2005-06 season, the Albany River Rats for the 2006-07 season and the Lake Erie Monsters during the 2007-08 season.
BUF D Andrej Sekera and BOS D Zdeno Chara played together for Slovakia in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
BUF D Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr played with BOS D Andrew Ference for the Calgary Flames from 2002-2006.
BUF D Adam Pardy, D Robyn Regehr, and BOS D Aaron Johnson played together during the 2009-10 season as members of the Calgary Flames.
BOS D Dennis Seidenberg played with BUF D Christian Ehrhoff for team Germany in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games. BUF D Alexander Sulzer was also a member of team Germany during the 2006 and 2010 Olympics.
Seidenberg also played with BUF D Jordan Leopold during the 2009-2010 season for the Florida Panthers.
BUF LW John Scott and BOS G Anton Khudobin played together from 2007-2009 as members of the Houston Aeros. They also played together during the 2009-2010 season with the Minnesota Wild.
BOS C Patrice Bergeron and BUF LW Nathan Gerbe share a birth date. Bergeron was born on July 24, 1985, and Gerbe was born two years later, on July 24, 1987.
BUF LW Thomas Vanek and BOS D Johnny Boychuk were both born on January 19, 1984.
BUF C Cody McCormick and BOS C Gregory Campbell were both born in London, Ontario.
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: 2-2-0 (4), 9/11, 1/16, 18/20
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
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
Alexander Sulzer … 100 career games played … 2/9 at NYI
Jochen Hecht … 800 career games played … 2/12 at OTT
Jordan Leopold … 600 career games played … 2/12 at OTT
