Game Preview: 12/9/16 vs. WSH

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Tuesday, December 6
Edmonton 3 at Buffalo 4 (OT)
Goals: Kane (2), Gionta, Ristolainen
Goalie: Nilsson (34 saves/37 shots)
PP: 2/4; PK: 2/4; Shots: Edmonton 37 – Buffalo 26

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 141)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Cody McCormick (blood clots, Oct. 13; injured reserve) – 26 games
Nicolas Deslauriers (knee, Oct. 30; injured reserve) – 19 games
Zach Bogosian (MCL sprain, Nov. 3) – 17 games
Tyler Ennis (groin, Nov. 9; injured reserve) – 14 games
Dmitry Kulikov (lower back, Nov. 11; injured reserve) – 13 games
Josh Gorges (foot, Dec. 3) – 3 games
Taylor Fedun (shoulder, Dec. 5) – 2 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
12/5: Recalled D Erik Burgdoerfer from Rochester (AHL); Placed D Dmitry Kulikov on IR (retroactive to 11/10)
12/8: Assigned D Erik Burgdoerfer to Rochester (AHL)
12/9: Activated F Nicolas Deslauriers and D Dmitry Kulikov from IR; Assigned D Brendan Guhle to Prince George (WHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Tuesday, Dec. 13: Los Angeles at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Buffalo at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 20: Buffalo at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 22: Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
CAPITALS at SABRES

• This is the third and final meeting between the Sabres and Capitals this season.
• Last meeting: Washington defeated Buffalo 3-2 (OT) in Washington on Dec. 5
• The Sabres are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games vs. the Capitals; 5-2-3 at home.
• This is the 155th game all-time between Buffalo and Washington; Buffalo has an 87-47-20 series record.
• The Sabres are 46-21-9 at home against the Capitals all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 9-4-4 all-time on December 9.
• December 9, 1981: Tony McKegney scores his second NHL hat trick as the Sabres top the Colorado Rockies 7-1 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
• December 9, 1992: Alexander Mogilny scores his second of seven hat tricks in the 1992-93 season, leading Buffalo to a 5-2 win against Boston and keeping the Sabres unbeaten in eight straight home games against the Bruins.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• After going 0-1-1 in the first two matchups this season, the Sabres need a win tonight to avoid their first season sweep against the Capitals since 2012-13.
• Buffalo’s last shutout against Washington – a 3-0 victory at home – came seven years ago today.
• The Sabres enter tonight’s game with a 5-2-2 record in their last nine games.
• Buffalo was ranked third in the NHL in power play percentage (23.0%) and fourth in team faceoff percentage (52.0%) entering play Thursday.
• Kyle Okposo has five points (2+3) in his last four games against the Capitals.
• Evander Kane has six career two-point games against the Capitals.

WHO’S HOT?

• Jack Eichel has 11 points (4+7) in his last 10 games dating back to last season, including five points (3+2) in five games in 2016-17.
• Rasmus Ristolainen has seven points (1+6) his last five games.
• Ryan O’Reilly has six points (2+4) in his last five games.
• Evander Kane has five points (3+2) in his last five games, including points in three straight home games.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before Dec. 8 games)

• Carrier: 23 hits/60 (3rd)
• Foligno: 84 hits (T-5th)
• Moulson: 6 PPG (T-6th)
• Nilsson: .957 EV SV% (1st), .932 SV% (6th)
• Okposo: 11 PPP (T-5th)
• O’Reilly: 21:57 TOI (2nd, forwards), 58.6 FO% (7th)
• Ristolainen: 10 PPA (T-1st), 26:41 TOI (5th), 11 PPP (T-5th), 15 A (T-4th, defensemen)

RETURN OF THE JACK

• Jack Eichel returned to the Sabres‘ lineup on Nov. 29 at Ottawa after missing the team’s first 21 games with a high-ankle sprain. In his first five games of the season, Eichel has recorded five points (3+2).
• The Sabres have a 3-1-1 record this season with Eichel in the lineup and have improved to 27-14-4 (.644) in Eichel’s career when he records a point and 10-3-1 (.750) when he has at least two.

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE

• Buffalo’s goaltenders have the fifth-best combined save percentage* (.925) in the league. They also have the fifth-best save percentage during 5-on-5 play (.936).
• The Sabres last finished a season with a combined save percentage* above .920 in the 2009-10 season (.924, Ryan Miller/Patrick Lalime/Jhonas Enroth) and have topped the team’s current mark only three times in franchise history: 1998-99 (.930, Dominik Hasek/Dwayne Roloson/Martin Biron), 1997-98 (.928, Hasek/Steve Shields), 1996-97 (.926, Hasek/Shields/Andrei Trefilov).

*Combined save percentage excludes empty net goals

BUF-WSH CONNECTIONS
Former Capitals:

• Terry Murray played for Washington during the 1981-82 campaign, his final season in the NHL. He went on to serve as a Capitals assistant coach from 1983 to 1988 before being named Washington’s head coach. Murray posted a 163-134-28 record as bench boss in Washington from 1989 to 1994.

Local Players:

• Brooks Orpik grew up in Amherst, New York.

Dan Bylsma:

• Coached Matt Niskanen for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2010-2014 and Brooks Orpik from 2009-2014.

Marcus Foligno:

• Played with Brett Connolly for Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Championship held in Buffalo.

Cody Franson:

• Teammates with Karl Alzner for Team Canada at the 2007 World Junior Championship.

Brian Gionta:

• Played with Brooks Orpik at Boston College from 1998-2001. The Golden Eagles won the NCAA National Championship in 2001.
• Teammates with Lars Eller for the Washington Capitals from 2010-2014.

Dmitry Kulikov:

• Played with Dmitry Orlov for Russia at the 2008 World U-18 Championship.
• Teammates with Alex Ovechkin for Russia at the 2010, 2011 and 2015 World Championships.

Johan Larsson:

• Played with Nicklas Backstrom for Team Sweden at the 2012 World Championship.

Anders Nilsson:

• Represented Sweden alongside Marcus Johansson at the 2010 World Junior Championship.

Kyle Okposo:

• Represented the United States alongside Taylor Chorney at the 2007 World Junior Championship and the 2010 World Championship.
• Played with T.J. Oshie for the United States at the 2009 and 2010 World Championships. Matt Niskanen was also a part of the team in 2009.

Ryan O’Reilly:

• Teammates with Brett Connolly for Canada at the 2009 World U18 Championship.
• Played with Paul Carey for the Colorado Avalanche from 2013-2015.
• Teammates with Daniel Winnik for the Colorado Avalanche from 2010-2012.

NHL Draft:

• Evander Kane (4th overall) and Marcus Johansson (24th overall) were both first-round picks in the 2009 NHL Draft.
• Ryan O’Reilly (33rd overall), Robin Lehner (46th overall) and Dimitry Orlov (55th overall) were second-round picks in the 2009 NHL Draft.
• Zemgus Girgensons (14th overall) and Tom Wilson (16th overall) were both chosen in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft.
• Rasmus Ristolainen, (8th overall) and Andre Burakovsky (23rd overall) were both selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft.
• Sam Reinhart (2nd overall) and Jakub Vrana (13th overall) were both first-round picks in the 2014 NHL Draft.

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Foligno (84), Ristolainen (71), Carrier (55)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (51), Gorges (43), McCabe (36)
Shots: Okposo (71), O’Reilly (69), Ristolainen (63)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 4-4-2 (10), 23/24, 8/35, 26/31
11-20: 3-4-3 (9), 15/26, 6/31, 28/36
21-30: 3-2-1 (7), 17/18, 6/21, 11/19

OVERTIME RESULTS (1-3; 103-108 all-time)
Oct. 18 at EDM: L, 4-3 (GWG-Monahan)
Nov. 11 vs. NJD: L, 2-1 (GWG-Greene)
Dec. 5 at WSH: L, 3-2 (GWG-Johansson)
Dec. 6 vs. WSM: W, 4-3 (GWG-Ristolainen)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-3; 68-61 all-time)
Oct. 25 at PHI: L, 4-3 (GDG-Giroux)
Nov. 9 vs. OTT: L, 2-1 (GDG-Ryan)
Nov. 19 vs. PIT: W, 2-1 (GDG-C. O’Reilly)
Nov. 23 vs. DET: L, 2-1 (GDG-Vanek)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Wins
Dan Bylsma … 3 wins … 300 NHL wins
Games Played
Marcus Foligno … 7 games … 300 NHL games
Points
Cody Franson … 7 points … 200 NHL points

RECENT MILESTONES
Brendan Guhle … 1st NHL game … Dec. 3 vs. BOS
Erik Burgdoerfer … 1st NHL game … Dec. 5 at WSH
William Carrier … 1st NHL assist … Dec. 5 at WSH