Game Preview: 10/25/21 vs. Tampa Bay

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Saturday, October 23
Buffalo 1 at New Jersey 2 (OT)
Goals: Cozens
Goalie: Tokarski (37 saves/39 shots)
PP: 1/2; PK: 2/3; Shots: New Jersey 39 – Buffalo 25

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 20)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Mattias Samuelsson (Lower body, Oct. 14; injured reserve) – 5 games
Jack Eichel (Upper body, Oct. 14; injured reserve) – 5 games
Casey Mittelstadt (Upper body Oct. 16; injured reserve) – 4 games
Henri Jokiharju (Lower body Oct. 16; injured reserve) – 4 games
Cody Eakin (Undisclosed) – 2 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
10/23: Recalled F Brett Murray from Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, Oct. 28: Buffalo at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 31: Buffalo at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 2: Buffalo at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 4: Buffalo at Seattle, 10 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 6: Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
LIGHTNING at SABRES

• This is the first of three meetings between the Sabres and Lightning this season.
• Last meeting: Tampa Bay defeated Buffalo 6-4 in Buffalo on Dec. 31, 2019.
• Next meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 11 in Buffalo
• The Sabres are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Lightning; 2-7-1 at home.
• This is the 107th game all-time between Buffalo and Tampa Bay; Buffalo has a 55-42-9 series record.
• The Sabres are 26-21-5 at home against the Lightning all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 10-11-3 all-time on October 25.
• October 25, 1991: The Sabres acquire Pat LaFontaine, Randy Wood and Randy Hillier from the Islanders in exchange for Pierre Turgeon, Uwe Krupp, Dave McLlwain and Benoit Hogue.
• October 25, 1991: The Sabres get 31 saves from Clint Malarchuk as they top the Sharks 3-1 in the first-ever game between the teams, earning the 800th win in franchise history.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• 21 of the last 24 meetings between Buffalo and Tampa Bay have been decided in regulation, including each of the last four contests.
• Will Butcher has five assists ana a plus-6 rating in eight career games against the Lightning.
• Among Sabres defensive pairs to have played at least five minutes together this season, Robert Hagg and Mark Pysyk lead Sabres defensive pairs in corsi for percentage (58.52) and expected goals for percentage (63.20).
  • The pair has the lowest offensive zone start percentage among Sabres defensive pairs at just 22.22 percent.
• Colin Miller has a team-high five assists this season and now has eight assists in his last nine games played dating back to last season.

HOT START

• Entering play Sunday, the Sabres ranked sixth in the NHL with a 54.7 shot attempts percentage at 5-on-5 this season.
• Buffalo has 121 scoring chances for and 82 scoring chances against at 5-on-5 through its first five games, good for third in the NHL entering play Sunday with a 59.61 scoring chance for percentage.
• The team’s 57.25 expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 ranked second in the NHL before Sunday’s game.
• The Sabres have successfully killed 12 of their 13 penalties to begin the season, tied for seventh in the league with a 85.7 penalty kill percentage this season entering play Sunday.

TERRIFIC TRIO

• The line of Rasmus Asplund, Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson has accounted for five goals and eight points for the Sabres this season.
• According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, the trio has skated 54:03 together and registered a 63.04 CF%, a 68.20 xGF% and a 69.57 HDCF%.
• At all strengths, Thompson (1.78) and Asplund (1.77) lead the Sabres in individual expected goals and Thompson leads the team in individual corsi for (34).

WELCOME TO BUFFALO
The Sabres have seven new players on their roster this season:

2021-22 ROSTER NOTES
Of the 23 players on Buffalo’s opening night roster:

• Eight were drafted by the Sabres — five were first-round selections (Pysyk, 2010; Girgensons, 2012; Mittelstadt, 2017; Dahlin, 2018; Cozens, 2019), one was a second-round pick (Asplund, 2016), one was a fourth-round pick (Bryson, 2017) and one was a seventh-round pick (Olofsson, 2014).
  • Mark Pysyk was drafted by the Sabres in 2010 and returned as an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
• Seven were acquired in trades: Bjork, Butcher, Hagg, Jokiharju, Miller, Skinner, Thompson
• Seven were signed as free agents: Anderson, Eakin, Hayden, Hinostroza, Okposo, Ruotsalainen, Tokarski
• Drake Caggiula was claimed off of waivers.
• Seventeen played in Buffalo at some point last season: Asplund, Bjork, Bryson, Caggiula, Cozens, Dahlin, Eakin, Girgensons, Jokiharju, Miller, Mittelstadt, Okposo, Olofsson, Ruotsalainen, Skinner, Thompson, Tokarski
• One played for Buffalo previously: Pysyk
• Five are new to the Sabres this season: Anderson, Butcher, Hagg, Hayden, Hinostroza

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before 10/24 games)

• Buffalo Sabres: 7 PTS (T-10th), 3 W (T-8th), 2.00 GA/GP (4th), 29.4 PP% (8th), 85.7% PK% (T-7th), 34.6 S/GP (8th)
• Girgensons: 1 GWG (T-7th)
• Skinner: 1 GWG (T-7th)
• Thompson: 20 SOG (T-10th)
• Tokarski: .950 SV% (T-6th), 1.40 GAA (5th) 

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Hagg (17), Dahlin (10), Caggiula/Miller (8)
Blocked Shots: Hagg (12), Pysyk (8), Dahlin/Miller (5)
Shots: Thompson (20), Okposo (16), Skinner (15)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 3-1-1 (7), 14/10, 5/17, 12/14

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-0; 126-138 all-time)
Oct. 23 at NJD: L, 2-1 (GWG-Zacha)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-0; 82-74 all-time)
Oct. 16 vs. ARI: W, 2-1 (GDG-Ruotsalainen)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Zemgus Girgensons … 6 games played … 500 career games played

Assists
Will Butcher … 7 assists … 100 career assists
Rasmus Dahlin … 9 assists … 100 career assists

Points
Mark Pysyk … 8 points … 100 career points

Wins
Craig Anderson … 7 wins … 300 career wins 

RECENT MILESTONES
Kyle Okposo scored his 200th career NHL goal on Oct. 19 vs. Vancouver
Rasmus Dahlin played in his 200th career NHL game on Oct. 19 vs. Vancouver
Colin Miller recorded his 100 career NHL assist on Oct. 22 vs. Boston