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LAST GAME
Tuesday, February 19
Winnipeg 2 at Buffalo 1
Goals: Pominville
Goalie: Miller (26 saves/28 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 1/1; Shots: Buffalo 30 – Winnipeg 28
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 44)
Ville Leino (lower body, Jan. 20; injured reserve) – 17 games
Andrej Sekera (lower body, Feb. 17) – 2 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
2/20 Placed C Cody McCormick on waivers
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, Feb. 23 NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 26 Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 28 Buffalo at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 2 New Jersey at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 3 Buffalo at NY Rangers, 7:30 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at MAPLE LEAFS
-This is the third of four meetings between the Sabres and Maple Leafs this season.
-Last meeting: Toronto defeated Buffalo, 4-3 (OT), in Buffalo on Jan. 29.
-The teams next meet one month from today, on Thursday, March 21 in Buffalo.
-The Sabres are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Maple Leafs; 4-6-0 on the road.
-This is the 187th game all-time between Buffalo and Toronto; Buffalo leads the series with a 103-60-23 record. The Sabres are 42-35-15 on the road against the Maple Leafs all-time.
THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 12-7-3 all-time on Feb. 21. Their last game on this date was a 2-1 win vs. NYI on Feb. 21, 2012. Buffalo has won their last three games on this date, with the last loss coming on Feb. 21, 2004 (4-1 loss at NYI).
- Feb. 21, 2008: Thomas Vanek recorded three points, including his 100th career goal, in a 5-1 win at TOR.
STORYLINES
- Tonight is Ron Rolston’s first game as interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. Rolston is the 16th head coach in franchise history.
- After defeating the Maple Leafs, 2-1, in Toronto on Jan. 21, the Sabres will look to win two road games in Toronto for the first time since they went 2-1 in Toronto in 2009-10.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Sabres are 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 36 points (14+22) in his last 26 games… Cody Hodgson has points in three straight games (2+1) and 12 points (4+8) in his last 11.
HOW THEY STACK UP (Sabres ranked in the top 10 in the NHL before 2/20 games)
Thomas Vanek: 25 points (1st), 12 goals (1st), 13 assists (T-6th), 5 power play goals (T-2nd), 25 takeaways (1st)
Steve Ott: 70 hits (1st)
Marcus Foligno: 7 assists (3rd, rookies), 8 points (T-6th, rookies), 19 PIM (T-3rd, rookies), 39 hits (4th, rookies)
MEET THE NEW BOSS
After being named interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres yesterday afternoon, Ron Rolston tonight becomes the 16th head coach in Sabres history. Rolston joins the Sabres after spending the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons as head coach of the Rochester Americans (AHL), compiling a 63-44-17 regular-season record. Prior to joining the Americans, Rolston spent seven seasons as head coach with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, where he led the United States Under-18 team to three gold medals and a silver medal in four tournaments as head coach at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
SABRES COACHING HISTORY
The Sabres have an all-time record of 9-5-1 in the first game with a new head coach:
Head Coach |
First Game |
Regular-Season Record |
Punch Imlach |
10/10/70 at PIT (2-1 W) |
32-62-25 |
Joe Crozier |
1/13/72 vs. NYR (5-2 L) |
77-80-35 |
Floyd Smith |
10/10/74 vs. BOS (9-5 W) |
143-62-36 |
Marcel Pronovost |
10/13/77 vs. NYI (3-2 W) |
52-29-23 |
Billy Inglis |
12/7/78 vs. LAK (3-3 T) |
28-18-10 |
Scotty Bowman |
10/11/79 vs. WSH (6-3 W) |
210-134-60 |
Roger Neilson |
10/9/80 at CHI (4-3 L) |
39-20-21 |
Jim Roberts |
12/12/81 at DET (4-2 W) |
21-16-8 |
Jim Schoenfeld |
10/10/85 vs. HFD (5-4 L) |
19-19-5 |
Craig Ramsay |
11/7/86 vs. VAN (7-6 L) |
4-15-2 |
Ted Sator |
12/23/86 vs. PHI (2-1 W) |
96-89-22 |
Rick Dudley |
10/5/89 at QUE (4-3 W) |
85-72-31 |
John Muckler |
12/13/91 vs. HFD (8-4 L) |
125-109-34 |
Ted Nolan |
10/7/95 at OTT (3-1 W) |
73-72-19 |
Lindy Ruff |
10/1/97 at STL (3-1 W) |
571-432-162 |
LEADING THE WAY AGAINST THE LEAFS
Thomas Vanek has 47 points (22+25) in 46 career games against Toronto… Jason Pominville has 47 points (17+30) in 48 career games against the Maple Leafs, including 12 (5+7) in his last nine , dating back to 2010-11… Ryan Miller is 28-14-1 all-time against Toronto with a 2.44 GAA and a .922 SV%; Miller has more wins (28) and shutouts (4) against the Maple Leafs than any other team.
LOGGING BIG MINUTES
Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff has averaged 24:40 TOI per game this season, the highest average of his career and the highest per-game average by a Sabres skater since Alexei Zhitnik skated 25:01 per game in the 2003-04 season. Jason Pominville’s average TOI of 20:40 is the highest by a Sabres forward since Miroslav Satan averaged 21:23 in 2002-03.
EXPANDED ROLE FOR ENNIS
Sabres forward Tyler Ennis has averaged 19:08 of ice time per game this season, trailing only Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek among all Sabres forwards. His average even-strength ice time of 15:29 leads all Sabres forwards. With a TOI of 21:09 on Tuesday vs. WPG, Ennis set his personal high for most minutes played in a game decided in regulation time, topping his previous high of 21:04 set on Sunday vs. PIT.
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. He trails Derek Roy by two assists for ninth.
BUF-TOR CONNECTIONS
BUF AC Kevyn Adams played for the Maple Leafs from 1997-2000, appearing in 58 games and recording 13 points (5+8).
TOR C Clarke MacArthur spent four seasons with the Sabres (2007-08 – 2009-10). While in Buffalo, MacArthur played in 187 games and recorded 79 points (41+38).
BUF G Ryan Miller and TOR D John-Michael Liles played together for three seasons (1999-2002) at the Michigan State University. Miller and Liles also played together on the 2006 United States Olympic Team in Torino.
BUF C Cody McCormick and BUF D Jordan Leopold have also played with Liles when they played for the Colorado Avalanche. McCormick played with Liles on the Avalanche from 2003-2009, with Leopold also playing on the squad from 2006-2009.
BUF D Robyn Regehr and TOR D Dion Phaneuf played together for five seasons on the Calgary Flames (2005-06 – 2009-10). BUF D Jordan Leopold was also on the Flames squad for the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons.
BUF RW Drew Stafford and TOR RW Mike Brown played together for USA at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship.
BUF D Alexander Sulzer and TOR D Cody Franson both played for the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) from 2007-2010 and for the Nashville Predators from 2009-2011.
BUF C Tyler Ennis is exactly one year older than TOR C Nazem Kadri, Ennis being born on October 6, 1989 and Kadri born in 1990. BUF LW Ville Leino is exactly seven years older than Kadri.
BUF C Steve Ott and TOR D Mike Komisarek played together for the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) in 2004-05.
TOR D Michael Kostka was a former Sabres prospect. He played for the Portland Pirates in 2008-09 and 2009-10 alongside current Sabres Cody McCormick, Tyler Ennis, Jhonas Enroth and Mike Weber.
BUF RW Jason Pominville was drafted two spots ahead of TOR C Jay McClement (drafted by STL) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
BUF LW Thomas Vanek was drafted fifth overall in 2003, four picks before TOR D Dion Phaneuf.
SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ott (70), Foligno (39), Weber (38)
Blocked Shots: Leopold (31), Ehrhoff (29), Sekera (25)
Shots: Vanek (58), Hodgson (50), Stafford/Ennis (48)
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: 3-4-0 (6), 17/19, 1/26, 23/27
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)
Goals
Thomas Vanek … 5 goals … 247 career goals (ties Mike Foligno, 6th in franchise history)
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
N/A