Game Preview: 11/26/14 vs. WPG

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Saturday, November 22
Buffalo 2 at Washington 1
Goals: Moulson, Mitchell
Goalie: Enroth (43 saves/44 shots)
PP: 0/1; PK: 0/1; Shots: Washington 44 – Buffalo 26

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 57)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Matt Hackett (lower body, Oct. 9; injured reserve) – 21 games
Josh Gorges (knee, Nov. 13; injured reserve) – 4 games
Michal Neuvirth (lower body, Nov. 22) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
11/19: Placed D Josh Gorges on IR; Recalled G Nathan Lieuwen from Rochester (AHL)
11/23: Assigned G Nathan Lieuwen to Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Nov. 28: Montreal at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29: Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 2: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 4: Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 6: Buffalo at Florida, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
JETS at SABRES

• This is the first of two meetings between the Sabres and Jets this season.
• Next meeting: Tuesday, Dec. 16 in Winnipeg
• The Sabres are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Jets; 5-3-2 at home
• This is the 54^th game all-time between Buffalo and Winnipeg/Atlanta; Buffalo has a 22-20-11 series record.
• The Sabres are 15-8-4 at home against the Jets/Thrashers all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 11-6-1 all-time on November 26.
• November 26, 1972: Rene Robert, Rick Martin and Jim Lorentz each score two goals as the Sabres defeat the Islanders, 9-2, at the Aud.
• November 26, 1982: The Sabres get goals from six different skaters and outlast the Blues, winning 8-6 in a game that saw both starting goaltenders replaced in the second period.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Buffalo enters tonight’s game on a three-game winning streak for the first time since Feb. 25 to Feb. 28. A win tonight would give the Sabres four consecutive wins for the first time since they won five in a row from March 19 to March 27, 2012.
• The Sabres have won consecutive home games entering tonight’s game for the first time since they won three in a row at First Niagara Center from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28.
• Despite a 0-2-1 record, Jhonas Enroth has been strong in his three career starts against the Jets, logging a .943 save percentage and a 2.01 goals against average.
• The Sabres are looking for consecutive home wins against the Jets for the first time since they won four in a row at home against the Thrashers/Jets from Jan. 1, 2010 to Nov. 8, 2011.
• Mike Weber enters tonight’s game on a three-game point streak (0+3), one game shy of his career-best four (April 6 to 12, 2014).
• Brian Gionta leads all Sabres with 22 points (14+8) in 38 career games against the Jets/Thrashers.

MY NAME IS JHONAS
Jhonas Enroth has won his last two games and is seeking his first three-game winning streak since he won in three straight appearances from Nov. 4 to Nov. 11, 2011. He has never won three straight team games. Enroth hasn’t allowed an even-strength goal in his last 150:18 on the ice.

WHO’S HOT?

• Brian Gionta has four points (2+2) in his last two games.
• Tyler Ennis has 10 points (3+7) in his last 11 games.
• Jhonas Enroth is 2-0-0 in his last two games, with 62 saves and a .969 save percentage.
• Zemgus Girgensons has eight points (4+4) in his last nine games.
• Matt Moulson has seven points (3+4) in his last seven games.
• Mike Weber has three points (0+3) in his last three games.

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 have been named the team’s alternate captains.

BUF-WPG CONNECTIONS
Former Sabres:

• Adam Pardy played 17 games for the Sabres during the 2012-13 season, recording four points (0+4) and a plus-4 rating.
• The Sabres selected Chris Thorburn in the second round (50^th overall) of the 2001 NHL Draft. He played two career games with the Sabres, totaling one assist and seven penalty minutes.

Nicolas Deslauriers:

• Deslauriers (1991) and Paul Postma (1989) were both born on Feb. 22, 1989.

Tyler Ennis:

• He and Bryan Little were both born in Edmonton, Alberta.

Brian Gionta:

• Played with Matt Halischuk for the New Jersey Devils during the 2008-09 season.

Zemgus Girgensons:

• He and Mathieu Perreault share the same birthday. Perreault was born on Jan. 5, 1988 and Girgensons was born on Jan. 5, 1994.

Cody Hodgson:

• Hodgson and Matt Halischuk were both born in Toronto, Ontario.
• Played with Anthony Peluso for the Brampton Battalion during the 2008-09 season.
• Represented Team Canada alongside Mark Scheifele at the 2014 World Championship.

Cody McCormick:           

• McCormick (1983) and Anthony Peluso (1989) were both born on April 18.

Matt Moulson:

• He and Anthony Peluso were both born in North York, Ontario.

Tyler Myers:

• Played with Evander Kane for Team Canada at the 2010 World Championship.
• Represented Team Canada alongside Mark Scheifele at the 2014 World Championship.

Michal Neuvirth:

• Played with and Mathieu Perreault for the Washington Capitals from 2009-2013.

Drew Stafford:

• Won a gold medal with Mark Stuart for Team USA in the 2004 World Junior Championship.
• Played with Mark Stuart (2008) and Zach Bogosian (2009) for the United States at the World Championship.

Chris Stewart:

• Played with Evander Kane for Team Canada at the 2011 World Championship.

Mike Weber:           

• Played with Bryan Little and Michael Hutchinson for the Barrie Colts during the 2006-07 season.

2009 World Juniors:

• Cody Hodgson, Tyler Ennis, Tyler Myers and Evander Kane all won gold medals with the 2009 Canadian World Junior Championship team.

NHL Draft:

• Drew Stafford, Andrej Meszaros, Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler were all taken in the first round of the 2004 NHL Draft. Ladd was taken 4^th overall by Carolina, Wheeler was taken 5^th overall by Phoenix, Stafford was taken 13^th overall by Buffalo and Meszaros 24^th overall by Ottawa.
• Patrick Kaleta (176^th overall) and Adam Pardy (173^rd overall) were taken three picks apart in the sixth round of the 2004 NHL Draft.
• Chris Stewart (18^th overall – Colorado), Michel Frolik (10^th overall – Florida) and Bryan Little (12^th overall – Atlanta) were all chosen in the first round of the 2006 NHL Draft.
• Tyler Myers, Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson and Zach Bogosian were all taken in the first round of the 2008 NHL Draft. Bogosian was taken 3^rd overall by Atlanta, Hodgson was selected 10^th overall by Vancouver, Myers was taken 12^th overall, and Ennis was taken 26^th
• Zemgus Girgensons (14^th overall) and Jacob Trouba (9^th overall) were both first-round selections in the 2012 NHL Draft.

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Deslauriers (72), Weber (60), Foligno (53)
Blocked Shots: Gorges (60), Myers (44), Weber (37)
Shots: Stewart (48), Ennis (43), Moulson/Stafford (41)

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: 3-5-2 (8), 23/36, 4/27, 28/39
21-30: 1-0-0 (2), 2/1, 0/1, 0/1

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
Brian Gionta … 3 games … 800 career games played
Jhonas Enroth … 7 games … 100 career games played
Cody McCormick … 7 games … 400 career games played
Zemgus Girgensons … 9 games … 100 career games played
Points
Josh Gorges … 1 point … 100 career points
Torrey Mitchell … 5 points … 100 career points
Brian Gionta … 8 points … 500 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
Andrej Meszaros … 600^th NHL game … Nov. 22 at WSH