Game Preview: 2/21/13 at TOR

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

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 187^th 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 100^th career goal, in a 5-1 win at TOR.

STORYLINES

1. Tonight is Ron Rolston’s first game as interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. Rolston is the 16^th head coach in franchise history.
2. 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 (1^st), 12 goals (1^st), 13 assists (T-6^th), 5 power play goals (T-2^nd), 25 takeaways (1^st)
Steve Ott: 70 hits (1^st)
Marcus Foligno: 7 assists (3^rd, rookies), 8 points (T-6^th, rookies), 19 PIM (T-3^rd, rookies), 39 hits (4^th, rookies)

MEET THE NEW BOSS
After being named interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres yesterday afternoon, Ron Rolston tonight becomes the 16^th 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:

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 12^th-most points in Sabres history. Pominville’s assist on Buffalo’s first goal Feb. 3 vs. FLA tied Mike Foligno (264) for 10^th-most assists in Sabres history and his next assist will give him sole possession of 10^th 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, 6^th in franchise history)
Assists
Jason Pominville … 1 assist … 265 career assists (sole possession, 10^th in franchise history)
Points
Jordan Leopold … 2 points … 200 career points
Ville Leino … 2 points … 100 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
N/A