GAME-DAY RESOURCES
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LAST GAME
Saturday, January 16
Washington 1 at Buffalo 4
Goals: Varone, Schaller, Kane, Franson
Goalie: Johnson (33 saves/34 shots)
PP: 1/5; PK: 4/4; Shots: Washington 34 – Buffalo 29
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 200)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Cody McCormick (blood clot, Oct. 8; injured reserve) – 45 games
Tyler Ennis (upper body, Dec. 31; injured reserve) – 8 games
Nicolas Deslauriers (lower body, Jan. 5; injured reserve) – 6 games
Zemgus Girgensons (upper body, Jan. 16) – 1 game
Josh Gorges (upper body, Jan. 16) – 1 game
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
1/14: Recalled G Robin Lehner from conditioning stint in Rochester (AHL); Assigned G Linus Ullmark to Rochester
1/16: Recalled F Philip Varone from Rochester (AHL)
UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, Jan. 20: Buffalo at Colorado, 10 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 22: Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 25: Buffalo at NY Rangers, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 26: Buffalo at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 3: Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at COYOTES
- This is the second of two meetings between the Sabres and Coyotes this season.
- Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Arizona, 5-2, in Buffalo on Dec. 4
- The Sabres are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Coyotes; 7-3-0 on the road.
- This is the 74th game all-time between Buffalo and Arizona/Winnipeg; Buffalo has a 43-21-9 series record.
- The Sabres are 19-14-2 on the road against the Coyotes/Jets all-time.
THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 11-3-4 all-time on January 18.
- Four different Sabres goaltenders (Don Edwards, Tom Barrasso, Dominik Hasek, Martin Biron) have earned a shutout on Jan. 18. It is one of only two dates on which the Sabres have recorded four shutouts; the other is Nov.19.
- January 18, 1984: Tom Barrasso makes 30 saves in his first NHL shutout as the Sabres top the Los Angeles Kings, 4-0.
- January 18, 2008: Derek Roy records his third career hat trick and Drew Stafford records his first in a 10-1 win against the Atlanta Thrashers, marking the 12th game in franchise history to feature two Sabres hat tricks.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- A win tonight would give the Sabres wins in three straight road games for the second time this season (last: Nov. 1 to 12).
- The Sabres have won their last five games in Arizona, with the last loss taking place on Jan. 21, 2008. It is the longest road winning streak the Sabres have had against the Coyotes franchise.
- Buffalo is 8-4-0 in 12 road games against the Coyotes since they relocated from Winnipeg prior to the 1996-97 season.
- If he appears in tonight’s game, David Legwand will become the 15th active NHL player (182nd all-time) to appear in 1,100 career regular-season games. The last player to reach this milestone was Daniel Sedin (Jan. 1, 2016 vs. ANA).
- Evander Kane ranked eighth in the league entering play Sunday with 3.7 shots per game.
- Entering Sunday’s games, Ryan O’Reilly (21:54) led all NHL forwards in average ice time per game and Evander Kane (21:01) ranked third.
COYOTE KILLERS
- David Legwand has at least a point in each of his last six games against the Coyotes, totaling 10 points (3+7) in those six games.
- Brian Gionta has 10 points (4+6) in his last nine games against the Coyotes.
- Ryan O’Reilly has eight points (3+5) in his last eight games against Arizona, including at least a point in each of the last five matchups and at least a point in each of the last four road games.
- Rasmus Ristolainen has recorded a point in each of his three career matchups with the Coyotes (2+1).
- Cody Franson has five points (1+4) in his last six meetings with the Coyotes, including a point in each of his last three visits to Arizona.
THE O’REILLY FACTOR
- Ryan O’Reilly has 21 points (10+11) in his last 22 games, a stretch that included an eight-game point streak from Nov. 28 to Dec. 14 which tied the longest streak of O’Reilly’s career.
- O’Reilly (57.8%) ranked fifth in the league in faceoff percentage before Sunday’s games. O’Reilly also leads the league with 1,141 faceoffs taken, accounting for 42.2% of Buffalo’s total faceoffs.
- O’Reilly will become the 31st player in Sabres history to appear in the NHL All-Star Game when he plays in this year’s installment on Jan. 31 in Nashville.
YOUNG GUNS
- Jack Eichel enters tonight’s game with 13 points (4+9) in his last 13 games, a stretch which included a career-best, four-game point streak (2+4) from Dec. 30 to Jan. 5.
- Eichel entered Sunday’s games ranked in the top five among NHL rookies in goals (T-3rd, 13), assists (4th, 14), points (4th, 27), shots (1st, 141) and time on ice per game (5th, 18:49).
- If they maintain their current pace, Eichel (13+14) and Sam Reinhart (12+9) would be the first pair of Sabres rookies to surpass the 30-point mark since Thomas Vanek (48) and Jason Pominville (30) did so in 2005-06.
- Eichel (13) and Reinhart (12) are also on pace to become the second pair of rookies in Sabres history to each record 20 goals in the same season. The first pair was Danny Gare (31) and Peter McNab (22) in 1974-75.
- With 27 points (13+14) in 45 games, Eichel is on pace for 49 points this season. If he reaches the 50-point mark, he will become the ninth Sabres rookie to record more than 50 points in a season. He would be the first since Derek Plante (1993-94) and the second-youngest to do so, trailing Phil Housley (1982-83).
FINNISHING TOUCH
- Before Sunday’s games, Rasmus Ristolainen ranked in the top 15 among NHL defensemen in goals (T-10th, 8), assists (T-10th, 21), points (T-11th, 29), shots (10th, 113), time on ice per game (15th, 24:48) and multi-point games (T-10th, 6).
- Ristolainen is the first Sabres defenseman to record five or more multi-point games in a season since Christian Ehrhoff had six in 2011-12. Jordan Leopold (2010-11) was the last Sabres defenseman to record seven multi-point games.
- His four power-play goals are the most by a Sabres defenseman since 2010-11 (Jordan Leopold, 5).
- With 29 points (8+21) in 45 games, Ristolainen is on pace for 53 points this season. If he reaches the 50-point mark, Ristolainen would be the first Sabres defenseman with 50 points in a season since Garry Galley (1995-96) and the youngest to reach that mark since Phil Housley.
JOHNNY ON THE SPOT
Chad Johnson has appeared in 17 games since the beginning of November, logging an 8-6-2 record with a .935 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average during that stretch. Johnson stopped a career-high 44 shots on Dec. 17 vs. Anaheim to earn his fourth career shutout, setting the Sabres’ franchise record for most saves in a regular-season shutout.
OUTSHOOTING OPPONENTS
The Sabres have outshot their opponents in 22 of their first 45 games this season, posting a 6-15-1 record in those games. Last season, the team finished the season 5-5-0 in 10 total games when outshooting their opponents.
POSSESSION PROGRESSION
The Sabres have led their opponent in even-strength shot attempts (corsi) in 18 of the team’s 45 games this season, going 7-9-2 in those games. Buffalo only led their opponents in even-strength shot attempts eight times throughout the entire 2014-15 season, going 3-5-0 in those eight games. (Data courtesy of war-on-ice.com)
BUF-ARI CONNECTIONS
Former Sabres:
- Anders Lindback played 16 games for Buffalo during the 2014-15 season, posting a 4-8-2 record with a .924 save percentage and a 2.76 goals-against average.
Former Coyotes:
- Chad Johnson played four games for Arizona during the 2012-13 season, posting a 2-0-2 record with a .954 save percentage and a 1.21 goals-against average.
Dan Bylsma:
- Coached Zbynek Michalek with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2011-12 season.
Carlo Colaiacovo:
- Played with Antoine Vermette for Team Canada at the 2011 World Championship.
- Teammates with Nicklas Grossmann for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2014-15 season.
Jack Eichel:
- Represented the United States alongside Connor Murphy at the 2015 World Championship.
Cody Franson:
- Played with Steve Downie for Team Canada at the 2007 World Junior Championship.
- Teammates with Anders Lindback for the Nashville Predators during the 2011-12.
Brian Gionta:
- Played with Kyle Chipchura for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2009-10 season.
Josh Gorges
- Played with Kyle Chipchura for the Montreal Canadiens from 2007-2010.
Chad Johnson:
- Represented Canada alongside Steve Downie at the 2010 World Championship.
Evander Kane:
- Represented Canada alongside Steve Downie at the 2010 World Championship.
- Played with Antoine Vermette for Team Canada at the 2011 World Championship.
David Legwand:
- Teammates with Anders Lindback for the Nashville Predators from 2010-2012.
Jake McCabe:
- Represented the United States alongside Connor Murphy at the 2013 World Junior Championship and the 2014 World Championship.
Jamie McGinn:
- Played with Steve Downie for the Colorado Avalanche from 2012-2014.
Ryan O’Reilly:
- Played with Steve Downie for the Colorado Avalanche from 2011-2014.
Sam Reinhart:
- Played with Max Domi and Anthony Duclair for Team Canada at the 2015 World Junior Championship where Canada won the gold medal and Reinhart and Domi were named to the tournament All-Star team.
NHL Draft:
- Zach Bogosian (3rd overall) and Mikkel Boedker (8th overall) were both chosen in the first round of the 2008 NHL Draft.
- Evander Kane (4th overall) was taken two picks before Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6th overall) in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft.
- Jake McCabe (44th overall) and Jordan Martinook (58th overall) were both second-round picks in the 2012 NHL Draft.
- Rasmus Ristolainen (8th overall) and Max Domi (12th overall) were both taken in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft.
SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Deslauriers (102), Kane/McGinn (94), Foligno (91)
Blocked Shots: Gorges (98), Ristolainen (69), McCabe (53)
Shots: Eichel (141), Kane (131), Ristolainen (113)
SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK]
1-10: 3-7-0 (6), 23/32, 9/35, 19/27
11-20: 5-3-2 (12), 21/21, 5/27, 23/29
21-30: 4-5-1 (9), 29/28, 8/29, 20/23
31-40: 3-6-1 (7), 20/27, 4/35, 17/21
41-50: 3-2-0 (6), 13/12, 2/16, 9/10
OVERTIME RESULTS (2-1; 100-102 all-time)
Oct. 27 at PHI: W, 4-3 (GWG-Girgensons, 2:29)
Nov. 14 vs. SJS: L, 2-1 (GWG-Marleau, 2:59)
Dec. 12 vs. LAK: W, 2-1 (GWG-O’Reilly, 3:19)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-3; 66-54 all-time)
Oct. 21 vs. TOR: W, 2-1 (GDG-Moulson)
Nov. 19 at STL: L, 3-2 (GDG-Steen)
Dec. 1 at DET: L, 5-4 (GDG-Richards)
Dec. 19 vs. CHI: L, 3-2 (GDG-Kane)
MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
David Legwand … 1 game … 1,100 career games played
Evander Kane … 4 games … 400 career games played
Assists
Josh Gorges … 4 assists … 100 career assists
RECENT MILESTONES
Zach Bogosian … 100th NHL assist … Jan. 16 vs. WSH
