Game Preview: 11/18/14 vs. SJS

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

Game Notes

NHL Stats

Press Clips

LAST GAME
Saturday, November 15
Toronto 2 at Buffalo 6
Goals: Girgensons (2), Ennis, Stafford, Moulson, Myers
Goalie: Neuvirth (32 saves/34 shots)
PP: 1/2; PK: 4/4; Shots: Buffalo 35 – Toronto 34

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 52)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Matt Hackett (lower body, Oct. 9; injured reserve) – 19 games
Josh Gorges (knee, Nov. 13) – 2 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
N/A

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Nov. 21: NY Rangers at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 22: Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 26: Winnipeg at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 28: Montreal at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29: Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SHARKS at SABRES

• This is the second of two meetings between the Sabres and Sharks this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated San Jose, 2-1, in San Jose on Oct. 25
• The Sabres are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games vs. the Sharks; 9-1-0 at home
• This is the 33^rd game all-time between Buffalo and San Jose; Buffalo has a 21-6-5 series record.
• The Sabres are 15-1-0 at home against the Sharks all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 6-10-0 all-time on November 18.
• November 18, 1970: The Sabres get 44 saves from Rogier Crozier as they defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-2, in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
• November 18, 1979: Larry Playfair scores his first NHL goal in a 9-7 Sabres win vs. Edmonton.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• The Sabres have three players on three-game point streaks entering tonight’s game: Tyler Ennis (2+3), Matt Moulson (1+4), Drew Stafford (1+3)
• The Sabres are currently on a franchise-best seven-game winning streak against the Sharks. The previous record was four straight wins, set the first four times the teams faced off (Oct. 25, 1991 to Oct. 23, 1992).
• The Sharks have only won one game in Buffalo in the franchise’s history (Dec. 2, 2005). The Sabres have won all three home games since then and are 15-1-0 all-time in Buffalo against the Sharks.
• Chris Stewart leads all Sabres with 10 points (3+7) in 20 career games against the Sharks.

SHARK KILLERS
The Sabres have seven players on their roster who are currently on a point-per-game (or better) stretch against the Sharks:

Current Point-Per-Game Stretches Against Sharks
Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Cody Hodgson	6	5	2	7
Cody McCormick	5	2	4	6
Drew Stafford	5	2	3	5
Zemgus Girgensons	3	0	4	4
Tyler Ennis	4	1	3	4
Matt Moulson	4	1	3	4
Tyler Myers	2	1	2	3
Nicolas Deslauriers	1	1	0	1

WHO’S HOT?

• Tyler Ennis has nine points (3+6) in his last nine games.
• Zemgus Girgensons has seven points (4+3) in his last seven games.
• Matt Moulson has six points (2+4) in his last five games.
• Drew Stafford has nine points (4+5) in his last 11 games.

NOTES FROM LAST GAME

• Buffalo’s six-goal game against Toronto on Saturday night was the first for the team since a 7-4 win at Boston on Jan. 31, 2013.
• Zemgus Girgensons recorded his second career two-goal game (last: April 8, 2014 vs. Detroit). He enters tonight’s game with consecutive multi-point games for the first time in his career.
• The Sabres got goals from five different players (Girgensons [2x], Ennis, Stafford, Moulson, Myers) for the first time since Feb. 26, 2014, a 5-4 overtime win vs. Boston.

FEARLESS LEADERS

• Brian Gionta has been selected to wear the captain’s “C” for the Sabres in 2014-15, becoming the 19^th full-season captain in franchise history (excludes rotating captaincies in 2003-04 and 2007-08).
• Gionta, who spent the last four seasons as captain of the Montreal Canadiens, is the 27th player to wear the captain’s “C” for at least a one-month period.
• Josh Gorges and Matt Moulson were named the team’s alternate captains.

BUF-SJS CONNECTIONS

Former Sabres:

• John Scott played in 90 games for the Sabres from 2012-2014, totaling one goal and 194 penalty minutes.

Former Sharks:

• Torrey Mitchell was San Jose’s fourth-round selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (126^th overall) and spent five seasons with the club from 2007-2012. Mitchell played a total of 280 games for the Sharks, contributing 73 points (30+43).
• Josh Gorges played for the Sharks from 2005-2007, tallying 10 points in 96 games (1+9).

Ted Nolan:

• Coached Jason Demers for the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) during the 2005-06 season.

Andre Benoit:

• Benoit (1984) and Adam Burish (1983) were both born on January 6.

Brian Gionta:

• Played for Larry Robinson for the New Jersey Devils during the 2001-02 season and again during the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons, when Robinson had stints as HC and AC of the Devils.

Josh Gorges:

• Played with Brent Burns for Team Canada at the 2004 World Junior Championship.

Nicolas Deslauriers:

• Played with Tye McGinn for the Gatineau Olympiques during the 2010-11 season.

Tyler Ennis:

• He and John Scott are natives of Edmonton, Alberta.

Cody Hodgson:

• Hodgson and Barclay Goodrow are natives of Toronto, Ontario. The two also played together for the Brampton Battalion during the 2009-10 season.

Cody McCormick:                 

• Played with Scott Hannan for the Colorado Avalanche from 2007-2009.
• McCormick and Joe Thornton are both natives of London, Ontario.

Andrej Meszaros:

• Played with Tye McGinn for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2012-2014.

Tyler Myers:

• Played with Brent Burns for Team Canada at the 2010 World Championship.

Michal Neuvirth:

• Played with Scott Hannan for the Washington Capitals during the 2010-11 season.

Chris Stewart:

• Played with Brent Burns for Team Canada at the 2011 World Championship.
• Played with Scott Hannan for the Colorado Avalanche from 2008-2011.

NHL Entry Draft:

• Torrey Mitchell (126^th overall) and Tyler Kennedy (99^th overall) were both chosen in the fourth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
• Chris Stewart (18^th overall) and James Sheppard (9^th overall) were both selected in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
• Zemgus Girgensons (14^th overall) and Tomas Hertl (17^th overall) were both first-round selections in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
• Rasmus Ristolainen (8^th overall), Nikita Zadorov (16^th overall) and Mirco Mueller (18^th overall) were all selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Deslauriers (65), Weber (55), Foligno (50)
Blocked Shots: Gorges (60), Myers (36), Weber (35)
Shots: Stewart (40), Girgensons/Ennis (40), Stafford (37)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 2-8-0 (2), 11/33, 0/32, 33/39
11-20: 2-5-2 (5), 19/35, 4/25, 25/35

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-1; 97-99 all-time)
October 30 vs. Boston: L, 3-2 (GDG-Marchand, 1:20)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (2-1; 59-47 all-time)
October 14 at Carolina: W, 4-3 (GDG-Girgensons)
November 2 vs. Detroit: W, 3-2 (GDG-Girgensons)
November 5 vs. Montreal: L, 2-1 (GDG-Parenteau)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Andrej Meszaros … 2 games … 600 career games played
Brian Gionta … 3 games … 800 career games played
Jhonas Enroth … 9 games … 100 career games played
Assists
Tyler Myers … 1 assist … 100 career assists
Points
Josh Gorges … 1 point … 100 career points
Torrey Mitchell … 6 points … 100 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
Chris Stewart … 400^th NHL game … Nov. 13 at MIN