GAME-DAY RESOURCES
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LAST GAME
Friday, April 3
Chicago 4 at Buffalo 3
Goals: Foligno (2), Larsson
Goalie: Lindback (32 saves/36 shots)
PP: 1/3; PK: 3/3; Shots: Buffalo 38 – Chicago 36
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 335)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Cody McCormick (lower body, Jan. 13; injured reserve) – 35 games
Josh Gorges (lower body, Feb. 15; injured reserve) – 23 games
Evander Kane (shoulder, Feb. 15; injured reserve) – 23 games
Zemgus Girgensons (lower body, Feb. 26; injured reserve) – 17 games
Chad Johnson (lower body, March 6) – 14 games
Jerry D’Amigo (upper body, March 23) – 6 games
Matt Hackett (undisclosed, March 30) – 3 games
Matt Moulson (illness, April 3) – 1 game
Mike Weber (lower body, April 3) – 1 game
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
3/30: Recalled G Andrey Makarov from Rochester (AHL)
4/1: Assigned F Tim Schaller to Rochester (AHL)
4/3: Recalled F Tim Schaller from Rochester (AHL)
UPCOMING GAMES
Monday, April 6: Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 10: Buffalo at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 11: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at ISLANDERS
- This is the third and final meeting between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
- Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo, 3-2, in Buffalo on Feb. 18, 2015.
- The Sabres are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Islanders; 4-5-1 on the road.
- This is the 159th game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has a 77-58-23 series record.
- The Sabres are 34-34-11 on the road against the Islanders all-time.
THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 6-9-2 all-time on April 4.
- April 4, 1973: The Sabres appear in the first playoff game in franchise history, a 2-1 loss at Montreal.
- April 4, 1981: The Sabres chase Red Wings goaltender Larry Lozinski with three goals on eight shots in the first period on the way to a 5-4 win in Detroit that featured two-goal performances by Tony McKegney and Andre Savard.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Andrej Meszaros leads all Sabres with 28 points (11+17) in 32 career games against the Islanders.
- Four of the last six games between the Sabres and Islanders have been decided in shootouts.
- Matt Moulson has four points (3+1) in four career games against the Islanders.
- Brian Gionta has recorded 12 points (4+8) in his last 10 games. It is his most prolific 10-game stretch since Dec. 2008.
- Johan Larsson has 11 points (4+7) in his last 13 games, averaging 20:12 of ice time per game during that stretch.
- Nicolas Deslauriers ranked eighth in the league with 251 hits after last night’s game.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
- The Sabres enter tonight’s game having scored at least three goals in six consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 14 to 25, 2014. They haven’t done so in seven straight since they did it eight times in a row from March 19 to April 3, 2012.
- They have also outshot their opponents in four straight games for the first time since Nov. 2 to 8, 2011. The team last outshot its opponents in five consecutive games when they did it in six straight from Oct. 16 to 29, 2010.
POWER SURGE
After going 1-for-3 on the power play last night, the Sabres are now 9-for-33 (27.3%) in their last 10 games, including a 6-for-20 (30%) mark in their last six.
RED-HOT RISTO
With a career-high three points (0+3) last night, Rasmus Ristolainen has now recorded at least a point in each of his last four games played, totaling seven points (3+4) during that span.
BACK-TO-BACK
Tonight’s game wraps up Buffalo’s 18th of 19 sets of back-to-back games this season, which began last night with a 4-3 loss vs. CHI. The Sabres are 4-13-1 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 4-12-1 in the second game. Buffalo’s point breakdown in previous back-to-back sets is: four points (1), three points (1), two points (5), one point (1) and zero points (9).
CONSISTENT PRODUCTION
Matt Moulson has not gone consecutive team games without recording a point since Feb. 15 and 17. Since then, he has posted 17 points (5+12) in 20 games. Because he did not play last night, he needs a point tonight to continue the trend.
BIGGER ROLE FOR LARSSON
Since assuming a larger role at the beginning of March, Johan Larsson has seen a marked improvement in several statistical categories (percentage stats include 5-on-5 play only):
|
Johan Larsson, 2014-15 season |
|||||||||
| Month | GP | G | A | P | SOG | TOI/GP | +/- | CF%/SAT% | FF%/USAT% |
| Nov. – Feb. | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 9:47 | -1 | 37.9% | 38.4% |
| March – Present | 15 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 29 | 19:32 | +2 | 45.5% | 46.1% |
BUF-NYI CONNECTIONS
Former Sabres:
- Eric Boulton played for the Sabres for four seasons (2000-2004). Boulton appeared in172 games, scoring 17 points (5+12).
- Jaroslav Halak was a member of the Sabres for four days during the 2013-14 season. He was acquired from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 28 before being dealt to the Washington Capitals on March 5, and did not appear in a game during his brief stint in Buffalo.
- Michal Neuvirth was acquired by the Sabres in the trade that sent Jaroslav Halak to the Washington Capitals on March 5, 2014. Neuvirth played parts of two seasons with Buffalo, posting a 6-19-3 record with a .921 save percentage and a 2.96 goals-against average.
Former Islanders:
- Bryan Trottier played 15 seasons for the New York Islanders and won four straight Stanley Cup Championships with the club from 1980-1983. He still ranks among the franchise leaders in virtually every offensive category, including points (1st, 1,353), goals (2nd, 500), assists (1st, 853), games played (1st, 1,123) and plus/minus (1st, plus-470).
- Ted Nolan coached the Islanders for two seasons, from 2006-2008. He compiled an overall record of 75-68-21, also leading the club to a postseason berth in 2006-07.
- Matt Moulson played for the Islanders from 2009-2013, registering 223 points (118+105) in 223 games.
- Chad Johnson went 8-8-1 with a .889 save percentage and a 3.08 goals-against average in 19 games for the Islanders during the 2014-15 season. He was acquired by the Sabres on March 2, 2015 in a trade that sent Michal Neuvirth to the Islanders.
Zach Bogosian:
- Played with Eric Boulton for the Atlanta Thrashers from 2008-2011.
Nicolas Deslauriers:
- Played with Thomas Hickey for the Manchester Monarchs (AHL) from 2011-2013.
Matt Ellis:
- Ellis and Cal Clutterbuck were both born in Welland, Ontario.
- Played with Lubomir Visnovsky for the Los Angeles Kings during the 2007-08 season.
Tyler Ennis:
- He and Johnny Boychuk were both born in Edmonton, Alberta.
Marcus Foligno:
- Played with Calvin de Haan and Casey Cizikas for Team Canada for the 2011 World Junior Championship held in Buffalo.
Brian Gionta:
- Played with Jaroslav Halak for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2009-10 season.
Matt Hackett:
- Played with Josh Bailey for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) during from 2006-2008.
- Played with Cal Clutterbuck for the Minnesota Wild from 2011-2013.
Cody Hodgson:
- He and Casey Cizikas were both born in Toronto, Ontario.
Johan Larsson:
- Played with Cal Clutterbuck for the Minnesota Wild during the 2012-13 season.
Andrej Meszaros:
- Played with Johnny Boychuk for the Boston Bruins during the 2013-14 season.
- Represented Slovakia alongside Lubomir Visnovsky at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. Jaroslav Halak was also a part of the team in 2010, and Meszaros and Halak were teammates for Slovakia at the 2014 Olympics as well as the 2004 and 2005 World Junior Championships.
Matt Moulson:
- Played with Lubomir Visnovsky for the Los Angeles Kings from 2007-2009. The two were then reunited with the Islanders from 2012-13.
Phil Varone:
- Played with John Tavares for the London Knights (OHL) for part of the 2008-09 season.
Mike Weber:
- Played with Josh Bailey for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) during the 2006-07 season.
2009 World Juniors:
- Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson, John Tavares and Thomas Hickey all played for Canada at the 2009 World Junior Championship.
NHL Draft:
- Matt Moulson (263rd overall) and Jaroslav Halak (271st overall) were both chosen in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL Draft.
- Mike Weber (57th overall), Michael Neuvirth (34th overall) and Nikolay Kulemin (44th overall) were all selected in the second round of the 2006 NHL Draft.
- Zach Bogosian, Cody Hodgson, Tyler Ennis and Josh Bailey were all first-round selections in the 2008 NHL Draft. Bogosian was picked third overall, Bailey was the ninth pick, Hodgson, selected by Vancouver, was the 10th pick and Ennis was the 26th selection.
- Zac Dalpe (45th overall by Carolina) and Travis Hamonic (53rd overall) were both second-round picks in the 2008 NHL Draft.
- Marcus Foligno (104th overall) and Casey Cizikas (92nd overall) were both drafted in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft.
SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Deslauriers (251), Foligno (179), Weber (172)
Blocked Shots: Weber (168), Gorges (148), Ristolainen (127)
Shots: Ennis (174), Moulson (151), Gionta (145)
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: 7-3-0 (14), 22/22, 2/25, 20/25
31-40: 2-7-1 (5), 21/44, 4/27, 19/31
41-50: 0-10-0 (0), 17/43, 6/29, 26/37
51-60: 3-5-2 (8), 16/23, 3/27, 26/32
61-70: 3-5-2 (8), 24/33, 3/22, 21/30
71-80: 2-5-1 (5), 21/27, 7/28, 18/20
OVERTIME RESULTS (1-3; 98-101 all-time)
October 30 vs. Boston: L, 3-2 (GDG-Marchand, 1:20)
December 13 vs. Florida: W, 4-3 (GDG-Zadorov, 0:29)
December 21 at Boston: L, 4-3 (Eriksson, 2:14)
March 26 vs. Arizona: L 4-3 (Gagner, 0:56)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (8-5; 65-51 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)
November 29 at Montreal: W, 4-3 (GDG-Flynn)
December 2 vs. Tampa Bay: W, 2-1 (GDG-Hodgson)
December 15 vs. Ottawa: W, 5-2 (GDG-Moulson)
December 27 vs. NY Islanders: W, 4-3 (GDG-Ennis)
February 17 at New Jersey: L, 2-1 (GDG-Gomez)
February 19 at Philadelphia: W, 3-2 (GDG-Flynn)
February 22 vs. Nashville: L, 2-1 (GDG-Forsberg)
March 11 at Toronto: L, 4-3 (GDG-Bozak)
March 16 vs. Washington: L, 4-3 (GDG-Kuznetsov)
March 17 at Boston: W, 2-1 (GDG-Ennis)
MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Assists
Zach Bogosian … 9 assists … 100 career assists
RECENT MILESTONES
N/A
