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LAST GAME
Saturday, March 25
Toronto 2 at Buffalo 5
Goals: Eichel (2), O’Reilly, Kane, Kulikov
Goalie: Lehner (32 saves/34 shots)
PP: 2/2; PK: 3/3; Shots: Buffalo 38 – Toronto 34
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 372)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Cody McCormick (blood clots, Oct. 13; injured reserve) – 75 games
Johan Larsson (wrist, Jan. 3; injured reserve) – 39 games
Cody Franson (undisclosed; March 20) – 3 games
Taylor Fedun (foot; March 20) – 3 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
3/23: Assigned F Justin Bailey, D Brady Austin and D Casey Nelson to Rochester (AHL)
3/25: Recalled D Brady Austin from Rochester (AHL); Activated F William Carrier from IR; Assigned F Hudson Fasching to Rochester
UPCOMING GAMES
Tuesday, March 28: Buffalo at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 2: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
Monday, April 3: Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 5: Montreal at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 8: Buffalo at Florida, 7 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
PANTHERS at SABRES
- This is the third of four meetings between the Sabres and Panthers this season.
- Last meeting: Florida defeated Buffalo 4-3 (SO) in Florida on Dec. 20
- Next meeting: Saturday, April 8 in Florida
- The Sabres are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Panthers; 3-6-1 at home.
- This is the 91st game all-time between Buffalo and Florida; Buffalo has a 47-35-8 series record.
- The Sabres are 26-16-4 at home against the Panthers all-time.
THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 14-6-4 all-time on March 27.
- March 27, 1990: Mike Foligno records his 500th point as a member of the Sabres in a 6-5 win at Detroit. Foligno finished his Sabres career with 511 points in 664 games.
- March 27, 2010: Jason Pominville scores to record his 300th NHL point in a 7-1 win at home against Tampa Bay.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- The Sabres are 7-1-1 in their last nine games against Atlantic Division opponents, including a 3-0-1 at KeyBank Center. A win or overtime loss tonight would give the team its best 10-game stretch against divisional opponents since the 2010-11 season.
- Buffalo is 43-for-49 (87.8%) on the penalty kill in their last 19 games.
- If he dresses, tonight will be Brian Gionta’s 1,000th NHL game.
TAMING THE CATS
- Ryan O’Reilly has 14 points (5+9) in his last 12 games against the Panthers, including points in 10 of those contests and four two-point games.
- Sam Reinhart has seven points (5+2) in his last five games against Florida, including two points in each of his last three.
- Evander Kane has 16 points (11+5) in his last 15 games against the Panthers.
- The Panthers are one of only six NHL teams (excluding the Sabres) that Jack Eichel has not yet recorded a goal against.
WHO’S HOT?
- Jack Eichel has not gone two games without a point since Jan. 31 and Feb. 2. In the 25 games since, Eichel has totaled 32 points (11+21).
- Tyler Ennis has three assists in his last three games.
- Kyle Okposo recorded two assists in his return the lineup on Saturday vs. Toronto and now has 14 points (4+10) in his last 15 games played.
- Robin Lehner has stopped 192 of 204 shots (.941) in his last six appearances.
#G1000NTA
Brian Gionta is expected to appear in his 1,000th NHL game tonight. If he dresses, Buffalo’s captain will become the…
- 312th NHL player (23rd active player) to play in 1,000 games.
- 43rd American player to reach the milestone.
- 10th player to appear in his 1,000th game as a member of the Sabres.
Gionta’s Career Breakdown
Games played for New Jersey – 473 (2001-02 to 2008-09)
Games played for Montreal – 303 (2009-10 to 2013-14)
Games played for Buffalo – 224* (2014-15 to Present)
1st NHL Game – 12/30/2001 at Edmonton (with New Jersey)
500th NHL Game – 1/14/2010 vs. Dallas (with Montreal)
1,000th NHL Game – 3/27/2017 vs. Florida* (with Buffalo)
Facts from the day of Gionta’s first NHL game (Dec. 30, 2001)
No. 1 Song: “How You Remind Me” by Nickelback
No. 1 Album: “Weathered” by Creed
No. 1 Movie: “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
Top-Selling Holiday Toy: Bratz Dolls
NFL Results: Alex Van Pelt led the Buffalo Bills to a 14-9 win over Vinny Testaverde and the New York Jets.
Other players to appear in their 1,000th NHL game as a member of the Sabres
| Player | Date | Opponent |
| Dick Duff | March 7, 1971 | vs. Toronto |
| Gilbert Perreault | Jan. 29, 1984 | vs. Pittsburgh |
| Craig Ramsay | Oct. 28, 1984 | vs Calgary |
| Don Lever | Jan. 27, 1986 | at Montreal |
| Phil Russell | March 12, 1986 | at Chicago |
| Dale Hawerchuk | Feb. 4, 1995 | at Florida |
| Charlie Huddy | March 8, 1996 | at Anaheim |
| James Patrick | Dec. 4, 1999 | vs. NY Rangers |
| Mike Grier | Nov. 3, 2010 | vs. Boston |
BACK-TO-BACK
Tonight’s game opens up Buffalo’s 17th of a league-high 19 sets of back-to-back games this season, which will continue tomorrow night at Columbus. The Sabres are 7-6-3 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 6-9-1 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in previous back-to-back sets this season is: four points (2), three points (2), two points (7), one point (2) and zero points (3).
HOME COOKIN’
- Ryan O’Reilly has 27 points (9+18) in his last 24 home games.
- Jack Eichel has 32 points (13+19) in 27 home games this season, including 10 multi-point outings.
- Evander Kane has 11 points (8+3) in his last 10 home games.
- Kyle Okposo has 13 points (5+8) in his last 13 home games, including two points in each of his last three.
JACK ATTACK
- In the time since his Nov. 29 return from an injury that sidelined him for 21 games, Jack Eichel is tied for sixth among all NHL skaters with 53 points (23+30) and leads the league with 220 shots on goal.
- Eichel has logged 38 points (15+23) in his last 33 games, including 11 multi-point outings during that stretch. The Sabres are 13-2-0 this season (and 22-5-0 in his career) when he has at least two points.
- Eichel’s .98 points per game rank him ninth among all players with at least 20 games played this season.
*All rankings before 3/26 games.
THE KANE EVENT
- Evander Kane has scored each of his 26 goals this season in his last 51 games.
- Kane is tied for 11th in the NHL with 23 even-strength goals despite not scoring his first until Dec. 3.
- Since Dec. 1, Kane ranks sixth among all NHL skaters in goals (26) and leads the league in even-strength goals (23).
*All rankings before 3/26 games.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
In their second full NHL seasons, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart have each improved on their points-per-game totals from 2015-16.
|
2015-16 |
2016-17 |
|||
|
Jack Eichel |
Sam Reinhart |
Jack Eichel |
Sam Reinhart |
|
| G/GP |
.30 (25) |
.29 (24) |
.43 (35) |
.23 (19) |
| A/GP |
.40 (33) |
.24 (20) |
.56 (46) |
.38 (31) |
| P/GP |
.69 (57) |
.53 (43) |
.98 (80) |
.62 (51) |
| SOG/GP |
2.9 (238) |
2.1 (172) |
4.1 (334) |
2.3 (190) |
(82-game pace in parentheses)
THEY’VE GOT THE POWER
- The Sabres rank first in the league with a 24.5% success rate on the power play.
- Buffalo has not finished a season ranked in the top five in power-play percentage since the 2005-06 season (third, 21.2%) and the team has led the league only once (1991-92, 22.5%)
- The team’s current power-play percentage would rank as the third-best conversion rate in franchise history and the best since the team’s 25.4% mark in 1975-76. It would be the 13th-best season by any team since the league began publishing the stat in 1987-88.
SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before 3/26 games)
- Buffalo Sabres: 24.5% PP% (1st)
- Eichel: 4.1 S/GP (1st)
- Foligno: 266 hits (3rd)
- Kane: 3.6 S/GP (7th)
- Lehner: .922 SV% (9th)
- Moulson: 11 PPG (T-8th)
- Nilsson: .930 EV SV% (9th)
- O’Reilly: 21:37 TOI/GP (1st, forwards), 57.8 FO% (6th)
- Ristolainen: 24 PPA (T-2nd), 26:42 TOI (5th), 156 BkS (7th), 25 PPP (T-8th), 39 A (T-6th, defensemen)
BUF-FLA Connections
Former Sabres:
- Mark Pysyk was taken by the Sabres in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. In 125 games over four seasons, Pysyk recorded 26 points (5+21).
Former Panthers:
- Dmitry Kulikov played seven seasons in Florida before coming to Buffalo in a trade on June 25, 2016. Drafted in the first round (14th overall) by Florida in 2009, Kulikov was the second-ranked defenseman in goals (28), assists (110) and points (138) in 460 games for the Panthers from 2009 to 2016.
Jack Eichel:
- Was named to Team North America for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey along with Aaron Ekblad and Vincent Trochek.
Tyler Ennis:
- Played at the 2015 World Championship with Aaron Ekblad on Team Canada.
- Shares a birthplace of Edmonton, Alberta with Alex Petrovic.
Zemgus Girgensons:
- Spent the 2011-12 season playing with Michael Matheson for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL).
Evander Kane:
- Represented Canada alongside James Reimer at the 2011 World Championship.
Jake McCabe:
- Represented the United States alongside Vincent Trochek at the 2013 World Junior Championship and the 2014 World Championship.
Kyle Okposo:
- Represented the United States alongside Keith Yandle at the 2010 World Championship.
Ryan O’Reilly:
- He and Aaron Ekblad share a birthdate. O’Reilly was born on Feb. 7, 1991, and Ekblad was born on Feb. 7, 1996. The two also played together for Team Canada at the 2015 World Championship.
- Played alongside Michael Matheson when Team Canada participated in the 2016 World Championships.
Rasmus Ristolainen:
- Represented Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with Aleksander Barkov and Jussi Jokinen. He and Aleksander Barkov were also teammates at the 2012 World Junior Championship.
NHL Draft:
- Nicolas Deslauriers (84th overall) and Reilly Smith (69th overall) were both taken in the third round of the 2009 NHL Draft.
- Rasmus Ristolainen (8th overall) and Alexander Barkov (2nd overall) were both selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft.
- Sam Reinhart (2nd overall) and Aaron Ekblad (1st overall) were the top two picks in the 2014 NHL Draft.
SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Foligno (266), Ristolainen (186), Gorges (133)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (156), McCabe (108), Gorges (100)
Shots: Kane (229), Eichel (220), Ristolainen (177)
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: 5-3-2 (12), 31/26, 8/30, 13/24
31-40: 4-4-2 (10), 27/31, 7/34, 21/28
41-50: 4-5-1 (9), 28/33, 6/27, 21/28
51-60: 6-4-0 (12), 26/25, 6/25, 24/30
61-70: 2-7-1 (5), 31/39, 9/30, 24/29
71-80: 3-2-0 (6), 10/9, 4/8, 12/13
OVERTIME RESULTS (6-6; 108-111 all-time)
Oct. 18 at CGY: 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. EDM: W, 4-3 (GWG-Ristolainen)
Dec. 16 vs. NYI: W, 3-2 (GWG-Ristolainen)
Jan. 5 at CHI: L, 4-3 (GWG-Kane)
Jan. 20 vs. DET: W, 3-2 (GWG-Okposo)
Jan. 21 at MTL: W, 3-2 (GWG-Bogosian)
Jan. 24 at NSH: W, 5-4 (GWG-Eichel)
Feb. 2 vs. NYR: L, 2-1 (GWG-Kreider)
Feb. 7 vs. SJS: W, 5-4 (GWG-Kane)
Feb. 28 vs. NSH: L, 5-4 (GWG-Forsberg)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (2-6; 69-64 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)
Dec. 17 at CAR: L, 2-1 (GDG-Stempniak)
Dec. 20 at FLA: L, 4-3 (GDG-Trocheck)
March 4 vs. TBL: L, 2-1 (GDG-Point)
March 17 at ANA: W, 2-1 (GDG-Girgensons)
MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Brian Gionta … 1 game … 1,000 NHL games
Kyle Okposo … 7 games … 600 NHL games
Goals
Tyler Ennis … 4 goals … 100 NHL goals
Assists
Brian Gionta … 3 assists … 300 NHL assists
Points
Evander Kane … 3 points … 300 NHL points
RECENT MILESTONES
Dmitry Kulikov … 500th NHL game … 3/25 vs. TOR
