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LAST GAME
Saturday, April 12
Buffalo 1 at Boston 4
Goals: Hodgson
Goalie: Hackett (20 saves/23 shots); Knapp (6 saves/7 shots)
PP: 0/2; PK: 2/3; Shots: Boston 30 – Buffalo 25
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 294)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Alexander Sulzer (upper body, March 15) – 15 games
Michal Neuvirth (lower body, March 16) – 14 games
Jhonas Enroth (lower body, March 18) – 13 games
Tyler Myers (undisclosed, March 27) – 9 games
Nathan Lieuwen (concussion, April 8) – 3 games
Chad Ruhwedel (concussion, April 8) – 3 games
Christian Ehrhoff (concussion) – 0 games
Brian Flynn (lower body) – 0 games
Chris Stewart (lower body) – 0 games
Matt D’Agostini (lower body) – 0 games
Matt Hackett (lower body) – 0 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
4/8: Recalled D Mark Pysyk and G Andrey Makarov from Rochester (AHL); Assigned F Luke Adam to Rochester
4/9: Assigned F Johan Larsson and F Nicolas Deslauriers to Rochester (AHL)
4/10: Assigned D Mark Pysyk to Rochester (AHL)
4/11: Recalled G Connor Knapp from Rochester (AHL); Assigned G Andrey Makarov to Rochester
4/13: Recalled G Andrey Makarov, F Nicolas Deslauriers and D Mark Pysyk from Rochester (AHL)
TONIGHT’S GAME
ISLANDERS at SABRES
- This is the third and final meeting between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
- Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo, 4-1, in New York on March 15
- The Sabres are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Islanders; 5-4-1 at home.
- This is the 156th game all-time between Buffalo and NY Islanders; Buffalo has a 76-57-22 series record.
- The Sabres are 42-24-11 at home against the Islanders all-time.
THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 4-2-1 (regular season) all-time on April 13.
- April 13, 2002: Martin Biron stops all 22 shots to earn his 11th career shutout as the Sabres close out the regular season with a 3-0 win at Montreal.
- April 13, 2013: Chad Ruhwedel plays in his first NHL game in a 1-0 win over Philadelphia in Buffalo.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- The Sabres are 22-14-6 all-time in the final game of the regular season.
- Five Sabres left yesterday’s game with injuries and are expected to miss tonight’s game: D’Agostini, Ehrhoff, Flynn, Hackett, Stewart
- After recording an assist yesterday at Boston, Mike Weber is on a career-best four-game point streak.
- Drew Stafford needs two points to become the 26th player to record 300 points as a member of the Sabres.
- Cody Hodgson has eight points (4+4) in his last eight games.
NINE NETMINDERS
- The Sabres have iced six different goaltenders this year (Enroth, Hackett, Knapp, Lieuwen, Miller, Neuvirth) for just the second time in franchise history, matching the franchise-record total from the 1988-89 season (Barrasso, Cloutier, Eliot, Malarchuk, Puppa, Wakaluk).
- With three more goalies serving as backups this season (Vinz, Halak, Makarov), the team has dressed nine different goaltenders. According to Elias Sports Bureau, this breaks the NHL record for most goaltenders dressed set in 2009-10 by Anaheim and matched this year by Edmonton.
SECOND-HALF SURGE
Tyler Ennis has made the most of an increased role during the second half of the season, logging 19:37 per game and notching 28 points (13+15) in his 38 games following the season’s halfway mark. Ennis averaged 18:07 of ice time and recorded 15 points (8+7) through the first 41 games of the season. He now has a career-high 21 goals this season.
Drew Stafford has also seen the most ice time of his career in the second half of this season after leaving with an injury just four shifts into the team’s 41st game. Stafford has averaged 20:00 of ice time and posted 21 points (12+9) in 28 games since the season’s halfway mark. In the 41 games prior to the midway point, Stafford had 13 points (4+9) in and averaged 17:36 per game.
HAPPY DREW YEAR
Drew Stafford’s career point rate from October through December is .486 (105 points in 216 games), putting him on a 40-point pace for an 82-game season. His rate from January through April is .652 (193 points in 296 games), putting him on a 54-point pace. He has 21 points (12+9) in 30 games so far in 2014 (.700 PTS/GP).
BACK-TO-BACK
Tonight’s game wraps up Buffalo’s 13th of 13 sets of back-to-back games this season after a 4-1 loss yesterday afternoon at Boston. The Sabres are 4-9-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 1-8-3 in the second game this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in previous back-to- back sets this season is: four points (0), three points (1), two points (4), one point (2) and zero points (5).
A NEW LOOK
- Only nine Sabres players dressed for both the first game of the season and Saturday’s game at Boston: Ehrhoff, Ennis, Flynn, Girgensons, Hodgson, Ristolainen, Stafford, Tallinder, Weber
- With Connor Knapp’s NHL debut yesterday at Boston, 45 different players have played at least one game for the Sabres this season.
- According to Elias Sports Bureau, this tops the previous franchise record of 43, set in the 1986-87 season and matched in 1991-92.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
On Jan. 9, the Sabres hired Tim Murray to serve as the seventh general manager in franchise history. Murray, a 20-year veteran of NHL front offices, comes to the Sabres after most recently serving as the assistant general manager for the Ottawa Senators, a post he held for seven years. Part of his duties as assistant general manager included serving as general manager of Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate, the 2011 Calder-Cup champion Binghamton Senators.
The Sabres also hired Craig Patrick as a special assistant and advisor to the hockey department. Patrick, whose career as a hockey executive spans more than three decades, comes to the Sabres after having served as a senior advisor in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ front office since December 2011.
BUF-NYI CONNECTIONS
BUF HC Ted Nolan coached the Islanders for two seasons from 2006-08. He compiled an overall record of 75-68-21, also leading the club to a postseason berth in 2006-07.
BUF C Zenon Konopka appeared in all 82 games for the Islanders during the 2010-11 season, tallying nine points (2+7).
NYI LW Eric Boulton played for the Sabres for four seasons (2000-01 – 2003-04). Boulton appeared in172 games, scoring 17 points (5+12).
Boulton and BUF D Henrik Tallinder were teammates for the New Jersey Devils during the 2011-12 season.
BUF D Tyler Myers, BUF C Cody Hodgson, BUF LW Tyler Ennis and NYI C Josh Bailey were all first-round draft selections in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Bailey was the ninth pick, Hodgson, selected by Vancouver, was the 10th pick, Myers was picked 12th and Ennis was the 26th selection.
Bailey and BUF D Mike Weber both played for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) in 2006-07.
BUF G Michal Neuvirth and Bailey both played for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) during the 2007-08 season.
BUF LW Marcus Foligno and NYI C Casey Cizikas were both drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Cizikas was the 92nd overall pick, while Foligno was picked 104th overall.
BUF D Christian Ehrhoff and NYI RW Michael Grabner were both on the 2009-10 Vancouver Canucks.
Ehrhoff also played with NYI G Evgeni Nabokov from 2003-2009 on the San Jose Sharks.
BUF C Torrey Mitchell and Nabokov both played for the San Jose Sharks from 2007-2010.
Ehrhoff played with NYI D Matt Carkner from 2003-2005 with the Cleveland Barons (AHL).
Myers, Ennis, Hodgson, NYI C John Tavares and NYI D Thomas Hickey all played for Canada at the 2009 World Junior Championship.
Neuvirth was teammates with Tavares for the Oshawa Generals (OHL) during the 2007-08 season.
NYI RW Cal Clutterbuck and BUF LW John Scott were teammates with the Minnesota Wild for two seasons (2008-2010).
Mitchell, Konopka and Clutterbuck all played for the Minnesota Wild during the 2012-13 season.
BUF LW Marcus Foligno played with NYI D Calvin de Haan for Canada at the 2011 World Junior Championship held in Buffalo.
Cizikas and Hodgson were both born in Toronto.
Konopka was teammates with NYI D Matt Carkner for the Ottawa Senators during the 2011-12 season.
SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Shots: Ennis (203), Stafford (179), Hodgson (178)
Hits: Weber (205), Foligno (204), Girgensons (157)
Blocked Shots: Weber (157), Ehrhoff (119), McBain (110)
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
11-20: 3-7-0 (6), 23/35, 5/24, 29/37
21-30: 2-7-1 (5), 15/28, 4/26, 20/28
31-40: 5-3-2 (12), 20/22, 3/36, 27/29
41-50: 3-4-3 (9), 26/31, 7/36, 28/32
51-60: 4-5-1 (9), 25/36, 7/36, 28/36
61-70: 2-8-0 (4), 14/27, 3/29, 34/41
71-80: 1-8-1 (3), 17/34, 4/30, 27/34
81-82: 0-1-0 (0), 1/4, 0/2, 2/3
OVERTIME RESULTS (3-5; 97-98 all-time)
October 10 vs. Tampa Bay: L, 3-2 (GWG-Killorn, 1:50)
November 29 vs. Toronto: W, 3-2 (GWG-Ehrhoff, 0:38)
November 30 at New Jersey: L, 1-0 (GWG-Bernier, 4:19)
December 14 vs. Calgary: L, 2-1 (GWG-Stajan, 0:42)
December 23 vs. Phoenix: W, 2-1 (GWG-Pysyk, 3:47)
January 28 vs. Washington: L, 5-4 (GWG-Green, 1:00)
February 26 vs. Boston: W, 5-4 (GWG-D’Agostini, 0:22)
March 29 vs. Tampa Bay: L, 4-3 (GWG-Stamkos, 1:53)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (7-4; 57-45 all-time)
October 17 at NY Islanders: W, 4-3 (GDG-Ennis)
November 5 at San Jose: W, 5-4 (GDG-Hodgson)
November 12 vs. Los Angeles: W, 3-2 (GDG-Moulson)
December 10 vs. Ottawa: W, 2-1 (GDG-Girgensons)
December 27 at Toronto: L, 4-3 (GDG-Lupul)
December 29 vs. Washington: W, 2-1 (GDG-Ott)
January 9 vs. Florida: L, 2-1 (GDG-Boyes)
January 12 at Washington: W, 2-1 (GDG-Hodgson)
January 15 at Toronto: L, 4-3 (GDG-Lupul)
January 18 vs. Columbus: L, 4-3 (GDG-Johansen)
April 1 vs. New Jersey: W, 3-2 (GDG-Leino)
MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Christian Ehrhoff … 8 games … 700 career games
Assists
Tyler Myers … 2 assists … 100 career assists
Tyler Ennis … 4 assists … 100 career assists
Points
Drew Stafford … 2 points … 300 career points
Jamie McBain … 9 points … 100 career points
Torrey Mitchell … 10 points … 100 career points
RECENT MILESTONES
Connor Knapp … 1st NHL Game … April 12 at BOS
