Game Preview: 10/23/13 vs. Boston

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Saturday, October 19
Colorado 4 at Buffalo 2
Goals: Hodgson, Foligno
Goalie: Miller (22 saves/26 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 2/3; Shots: Buffalo 30 – Colorado 26

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 48)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Joel Armia (hand, Oct. 2; injured non-roster) – 10 games
Corey Tropp (jaw, Oct. 2; injured non-roster) – 10 games
Ville Leino (rib, Oct. 4; injured reserve) – 9 games
Cody McCormick (leg, Oct. 19) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
10/19: Activated D Nikita Zadorov to roster; Assigned D Rasmus Ristolainen to Rochester (AHL)
10/21: Recalled D Rasmus Ristolainen from Rochester (AHL)
10/22: Placed F Cody McCormick on IR

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Oct. 25: Buffalo at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26: Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 28: Dallas at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31: Buffalo at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: Anaheim at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
BRUINS at SABRES

• This is the first of five meetings between the Sabres and Bruins this season.
• Next meeting: Thursday, Dec. 19 in Buffalo
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Boston, 3-2 (SO), in Boston on April 17, 2013.
• The Sabres are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games vs. the Bruins; 5-3-2 at home.
• This is the 269^th game all-time between Buffalo and Boston; Buffalo has a 117-111-40 series record.
• The Sabres are 71-43-21 at home against the Bruins all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 10-6-1 all-time on October 23.
• October 23, 1970: Ron Anderson scores the first shorthanded goal in franchise history at 13:40 of the third period to give the Sabres a 4-3 victory vs. Detroit.
• October 23, 1983: The Sabres top Winnipeg, 5-2, on the strength of a Gilles Hamel hat trick, earning the 500^th win in franchise history.
• October 23, 1992: Dominik Hasek relieves Daren Puppa to start the third period and stops all six San Jose shots in the period, earning his first win as a member of the Sabres.

BESTING THE BRUINS
Thomas Vanek’s career numbers of 56 points (29+27) in 49 games against Boston represent his highest goal, assist and point totals against any NHL team. According to Elias Sports Bureau, his 56 points against the Bruins rank him third among all active skaters in the NHL:

VANEK IN ELITE COMPANY
With his goal on 10/15 at NYI, Thomas Vanek passed Craig Ramsay for fifth-most goals in Sabres franchise history (253). He is now 14 goals shy of Danny Gare for fourth. Vanek is currently 15^th on the Sabres’ games played list and his .425 goals per game rank him seventh in franchise history, behind Pat LaFontaine (.590), Rick Martin (.561), Alexander Mogilny (.554), Danny Gare (.531), Dave Andreychuk (.440) and Gilbert Perreault (.430) and just ahead of Rene Robert (.423).

LOGGING BIG MINUTES
Through 10 games, Christian Ehrhoff ranks 11^th in the NHL with an average TOI of 25:30 per game, topping his career-high average of 25:11 set last season and the highest per-game average by a Sabres skater since Alexei Zhitnik averaged 26:32 per game in the 2002-03 season.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
With Zemgus Girgensons, Mikhail Grigorenko and Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov all playing in the first 10 games of the season, the Sabres have already dressed four teenagers during the course of a season for the first time since 1995-96, when they had five (Jay McKee, Martin Biron, Wayne Primeau, Vaclav Varada, Curtis Brown) suit up for the team. The Sabres are the first NHL team to ice four teenagers since those 1995-96 Sabres. Florida (4) and Winnipeg (6) also dressed at least four teenagers that season.

FEARLESS LEADERS

• Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott have each been selected to wear the captain’s “C” for the Sabres in 2013-14, becoming the 17^th and 18^th full-season captains in franchise history (excludes rotating captaincies in 2003-04 and 2007-08).
• In total, 23 different players have previously served as captain of the Sabres for at least a one-month period; the duo will bring the total to 25.
• Vanek will serve as captain for the team’s home games and Ott will serve as captain on the road. The Sabres last employed a two-captain rotation in 2005-06 and 2006-07, when Chris Drury and Daniel Briere served as co-captains.
• Christian Ehrhoff has been named the team’s lone alternate captain; he will wear the “A” in every game, with one of Ott or Vanek wearing the other.

BUF-BOS CONNECTIONS
BOS LW Daniel Paille was a part of the Sabres’ organization from 2002-2009. He was selected in the first round (20^th 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).

BUF G Jhonas Enroth, D Mike Weber, BUF D Jamie McBain and BOS LW Milan Lucic were all selected in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Enroth was taken 46^th overall, Lucic was taken 50^th overall, Weber was selected 57^th overall and McBain 63^rd overall.

BOS LW Loui Eriksson has been a teammate of four current Sabres players: C Steve Ott (Dallas Stars, 2006-2012), D Henrik Tallinder (Team Sweden, 2010 Olympics), Enroth (Team Sweden, 2011 and 2012 World Hockey Championship) and LW Johan Larsson (Team Sweden, 2012 World Championship).

Ott and BOS RW Reilly Smith were also teammates with the Dallas Stars during the 2011-12 season.

Ott also played alongside BOS G Chad Johnson for Canada at the 2010 World Hockey Championship.

BUF LW Marcus Foligno and Hamilton both represented Canada at the 2011 World Junior Championship held in Buffalo.

BUF C Cody Hodgson, Smith, BOS C Chris Kelly and BOS D Dougie Hamilton are all natives of Toronto, Ontario.

BUF RW Joel Armia (16^th overall) and Hamilton (9^th overall) were both first round selections in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

BUF LW Thomas Vanek and BOS D Johnny Boychuk were both born on January 19, 1984.

BUF LW John Scott, BUF C Tyler Ennis, Boychuk and BOS RW Jarome Iginla were all born in Edmonton, Alberta.

Boychuk played under current BUF AC Joe Sacco for three consecutive seasons in the AHL with the Lowell Lock Monsters (2005-06), Albany River Rats (2006-07) and Lake Erie Monsters (2007-08).

Sacco played with BOS D Zdeno Chara for the New York Islanders for two seasons (1997-1999).

Sacco was also teammates with BOS D Dennis Seidenberg for the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) during the 2002-03 season.

BUF D Christian Ehrhoff played with Seidenberg for Team Germany in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games.

BUF RW Corey Tropp and BOS D Torey Krug played together at Michigan State during the 2009-10 season.

BUF C Cody McCormick and BOS C Gregory Campbell were both born in London, Ontario.

Weber and BOS D Matt Bartkowski were both born in Pittsburgh, PA.

BUF G Ryan Miller and Eriksson share the same birthday. Miller was born on July 17, 1980 and Eriksson was born five years later on July 17, 1985.

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ott (34), Weber (25), Foligno/Girgensons (22)
Blocked Shots: Ehrhoff (22), Weber (17), Pysyk (14)
Shots: Vanek (39), Stafford (30), Hodgson (24)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 1-8-1 (3), 13/28, 3/35, 27/32

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-1; 94-94 all-time)
October 10 vs. Tampa Bay: L, 3-2 (GWG-Killorn, 1:50)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-0; 51-41 all-time)
October 17 at NY Islanders: W, 4-3 (GDG-Ennis)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Tyler Ennis … 3 games … 200 career games played
Thomas Vanek … 5 games … 600 career games played
Mike Weber … 7 games … 200 career games played
Goals
Steve Ott … 6 goals … 100 career goals
Points
Thomas Vanek … 6 points … 500 career points (ties Danny Gare for 9^th in franchise history)