Game Preview: 4/19/13 vs. NYR

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Wednesday, April 17
Buffalo 3 at Boston 2 (SO)
Goals: Vanek, Hodgson; GDG- Stafford
Goalie: Miller (41 saves/43 shots)
PP: 2/6; PK: 2/2; Shots: Boston 43 – Buffalo 32

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 116)
Alexander Sulzer (lower body, Feb. 26; injured reserve) – 25 games
Ville Leino (upper body, March 31) – 9 games
Tyler Myers (leg, April 13) – 3 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
4/16: Recalled F Mikhail Grigorenko from Quebec (QMJHL).

REMAINING GAMES
Monday, April 22: Winnipeg at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 23: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 26: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
RANGERS at SABRES
-This is the third and final meeting between the Sabres and Rangers this season.
-Last meeting: Buffalo defeated New York, 3-1, in Buffalo on March 12.
-The Sabres are 4-2-4 in their last 10 games vs. the Rangers; 5-3-2 at home.
-This is the 165^th game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has a 78-53-33 series record.
-The Sabres are 47-23-13 at home against the Rangers all-time.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• April is the Sabres’ best month since 2005-06; they have a 29-13-3 (.678) April record in that span, including a 6-2-0 (.750) record so far this season.
• The Sabres have had 17 of their last 25 games decided by one goal. Buffalo is 9-3-5 in those 17 games and 12-8-6 in their 26 one-goal games this season.
• Brian Flynn has had a positive or even plus/minus rating in 20 of his 22 games this season. The Sabres are 11-7-4 in those 22 games.
• According to Elias Sports Bureau, Ryan Miller leads all NHL goaltenders with four wins when facing at least 40 shots.
• The Sabres are 7-3-2 against the Atlantic Division this season; the Rangers are 5-8-1 against the Northeast.

WHO’S HOT AGAINST THE RANGERS?

• Drew Stafford, who scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout on Wednesday at BOS, has six points (5+1) in his last four games against the Rangers
• Ryan Miller is 8-2-4 in his last 14 games against the Rangers with a .943 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.71. He has only allowed three or more goals twice in those 14 games.
• Marcus Foligno has four points (2+2) in three career games against the Rangers.
• Tyler Ennis has nine points (3+6) in 10 career games against the Rangers.
• Thomas Vanek has points in 18 of 26 games against the Rangers, totaling 20 (9+11) in his career. He has only gone pointless in consecutive games against the Rangers once in his career (March 27 and Oct. 14, 2006).

EXPANDED ROLES
Three Sabres topped their career highs in ice time in Buffalo’s last game (3-2 SO win on Wednesday at BOS): Mark Pysyk (20:46), Kevin Porter (19:51), Bryan Flynn (18:37). Each of the three had previously set his career high in the game before last (3-1 win on April 14 vs. TBL).

LATE-SEASON PUSH
The Sabres have performed at or above a .625 points percentage (103-point pace over 82 games) in the final 20 games in each of the last three seasons. This was an improvement upon their record from the first 62 games of the season each time.

So far this season, Buffalo is at .625 in games that fall in the final 20 of the season, .196 better than their performance in the 28 games leading up to that point.

SOPHOMORE SURGE
After finishing fifth in NHL rookie scoring last year with 41 points (19+22), Cody Hodgson leads all sophomores (defined as 2011-12 rookies) in both goals and points (stats as of 4/18):

LOGGING BIG MINUTES
Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff has averaged 25:08 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 26:32 per game in the 2002-03 season.

MEET THE NEW BOSS
After being named interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 20, Ron Rolston became 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.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The Sabres hired Ron Rolston to serve as interim head coach on Feb. 20 after the Sabres got off to a 6-10-1 (.382) start. It was the first time the Sabres had replaced their head coach mid-season since John Muckler took over for Rick Dudley on Dec. 11, 1991 after a 9-15-4 (.393) start to the season. The 1991-92 team went 22-22-8 under Muckler, ending the season 31-37-12 and finishing third in the Adams Division to clinch a playoff spot.

BUF-NYR CONNECTIONS
NYR G Martin Biron played 297 games for the Buffalo Sabres from 1995-2007, compiling a record of 134-115-29 over that span. The Sabres selected Biron in the first round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft (16th overall).

NYR LW Taylor Pyatt played 230 games with the Buffalo Sabres from 2001-2006, totaling 80 points (38+42). Buffalo acquired Pyatt via trade from the New York Islanders along with Tim Connolly in exchange for Michael Peca on June 24, 2001.

BUF AC James Patrick spent 10 years as a member of the New York Rangers. Patrick was New York’s first round selection (ninth overall) in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play 11 seasons with the club for a total of 671 regular season contests in which he amassed 467 points (104+363). Patrick also suited up for 63 playoff games, contributing 31 points (5+26).

BUF LW Thomas Vanek and NYR C Brian Boyle were both first-round draft selections in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Vanek was the fifth overall pick, while Boyle was selected 26th overall.

BUF LW Nathan Gerbe and NYR C Brian Boyle played together for two seasons (2005-06, 2006-07) at Boston College.

BUF HC Ron Rolston coached NYR C Brian Boyle for one season (2003-04) at Boston College –Rolston served as an Assistant Coach.

NYR RW Ryan Callahan played for the Buffalo Lightning (OPJHL) during the 2001-02 season.

BUF RW Drew Stafford and NYR RW Ryan Callahan both represented the United States in the 2005 World Junior Championships.

BUF G Ryan Miller and NYR RW Ryan Callahan were teammates for Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

BUF G Jhonas Enroth and NYR LW Carl Hagelin both represented Team Sweden at the 2008 World Junior Championships.

BUF C Steve Ott was teammates with NYR C Brad Richards with the Dallas Stars for four seasons (2007-08 –2010-11).

BUF C Steve Ott and NYR LW Rick Nash both represented Canada in the 2002 World Junior Championships.

NYR D Ryan McDonagh played under BUF HC Ron Rolston for Team USA at the 2009 World Junior Championships.

BUF LW Ville Leino was teammates with NYR RW Arron Asham (2009-10 season) and C Darroll Powe (2009-10, 2010-11 seasons) on the Philadelphia Flyers.

BUF D Christian Ehrhoff and NYR F Ryane Clowe played together for the San Jose Sharks from 2005-2009.

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ott (180), Weber (113), Foligno (100)
Blocked Shots: Weber (86), Ehrhoff (76), Sekera (66)
Shots: Stafford (111), Hodgson (108), Vanek (105)

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: 4-6-0 (8), 20/27, 1/36, 35/42
21-30: 4-3-3 (11), 29/31, 5/36, 26/35
31-40: 5-3-2 (12), 27/27, 4/35, 26/35
41-48: 3-1-0 (6), 8/8, 3/12, 12/14

OVERTIME RESULTS (1-2; 94-93 all-time)
January 29 vs. Toronto: L, 4-3 (GWG-Frattin, 4:58)
March 16 vs. Ottawa: L, 4-3 (GWG-Turris, 3:54)
March 19 at Montreal: W, 3-2 (GWG-Ott, 2:16)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (6-4; 49-41 all-time)
February 7 vs. Montreal: W, 5-4 (GDG-Pominville)
February 28 at Florida: W, 4-3 (GDG-Vanek)
March 2 vs. New Jersey: W, 4-3 (GDG-Pominville)
March 3 at NY Rangers: L, 3-2 (GDG-Nash)
March 7 at New Jersey: L, 3-2 (GDG-Clarkson)
March 21 vs. Toronto: W, 5-4 (GDG-Ott)
March 28 at Florida: L, 5-4 (GDG-Mike Santorelli)
March 30 vs. Washington: L, 4-3 (GDG-Matt Hendricks)
April 7 vs. New Jersey: W, 3-2 (GDG-Nathan Gerbe)
April 17 at Boston: W, 3-2 (GDG-Drew Stafford)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Ryan Miller … 3 games … 500 career games played
Adam Pardy … 4 games … 200 career games played
Goals
Thomas Vanek … 1 goal … 248 career goals (sole posession, 6^th in franchise history)
Steve Ott … 7 goals … 100 career goals

RECENT MILESTONES
Chad Ruhwedel … 1st NHL game … 4/13 vs. PHI
Patrick Kaleta … 300 career games played … 4/17 at BOS
Thomas Vanek … 1 goal … 247 career goals (tied Mike Foligno, 6^th in franchise history)