Tag Archives: Boston Bruins

Postgame Report: 10/22 vs. Boston

Final Score

1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Final SOG
Bruins
(2-1-0)
2 1 1 4 26
Sabres
(3-1-0)
0l 0 1 1 36

Game Summary
Event Summary

Postgame Audio

Sabres head coach Don Granato

Sabres forward Dylan Cozens

Sabres forward Victor Olofsson

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy

Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo

Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark

Top Notes

  • Rasmus Asplund earned the primary assist on Victor Olofsson’s goal and now has an assist in each of his last three games against the Bruins.
  • Colin Miller’s assist tonight gives him a team-high five assists through Buffalo’s first four games of the season. Dating back to 2020-21, Miller now has eight assists in his last eight games played.
    • Miller’s assist tonight was the 100th if his NHL career.

Tonight’s Goaltenders

Tonight’s Stats
Team Goaltender Decision GA SA
Bruins
Ullmark W 1 36
Sabres Anderson L 3 25
Updated Season Stats
Team Goaltender Record SV% GAA
Bruins Ullmark 1-0-0 .972 1.00
Sabres Anderson 2-1-0 .933 2.01

 

Game Preview: 10/22/21 vs. Boston

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

Game Notes NHL Stats Rosters

LAST GAME
Tuesday, October 19
Vancouver 2 at Buffalo 5
Goals: Okposo, Girgensons, Skinner, Thompson, Asplund
Goalie: Anderson (32 saves/34 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 3/3; Shots: Buffalo 43 – Vancouver 34

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 10)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Mattias Samuelsson (Lower body, Oct. 14; injured reserve) – 3 games
Jack Eichel (Upper body, Oct. 14; injured reserve) – 3 games
Casey Mittelstadt (Upper body Oct. 16) – 2 games
Henri Jokiharju (Lower body Oct. 16; injured reserve) – 2 games
Cody Eakin (Undisclosed) – 0 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
10/16: Claimed D Christian Wolanin off waivers from Los Angeles; Placed D Henri Jokiharju on IR.

UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, Oct. 23: Buffalo at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 25: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
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.

TONIGHT’S GAME
BRUINS at SABRES

  • This is the first of four meetings between the Sabres and Bruins this season.
  • Last meeting: Boston defeated Buffalo 6-2 in Boston on May 1, 2021
  • Next meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 24 in Buffalo
  • The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Bruins; 2-7-1 at home.
  • This is the 305th game all-time between Buffalo and Boston; Buffalo has a 126-132-46 series record.
  • The Sabres are 75-54-24 at home against the Bruins all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

  • The Sabres are 10-8-0 all-time on October 22.
  • October 22, 1972: Gilbert Perreault records six points (2+4) and Rick Martin scores four goals, including three in the third period, as the Sabres defeat the Atlanta Flames 7-2 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
  • October 22, 2011: Brad Boyes plays in his 500th NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  • Buffalo enters tonight’s game looking for a win to go 4-0-0 to start a season for the fourth time in franchise history.
    • The last Sabres team to win at least its first four games of the season was the 2008-09 club that won its first four contests.
  • If the Sabres earn at least a point tonight, they will have opened the season by earning at least a point in their first four games for the seventh time in team history.
  • Colin Miller has four assists this season and now has seven assists in his last seven games played dating back to last season.
  • Arttu Ruotsalainen enters tonight’s game with a point in each of his last four games against Boston (3+1).
  • Rasmus Asplund has an assist in each of his last two games against the Bruins.

HOT START

  • The Sabres have started the season 3-0-0 for the first time since 2008-09.
  • Entering Thursday’s games, the Sabres ranked third in the NHL with a 57.08 shot attempts percentage at 5-on-5 this season.
  • Buffalo has had 62 scoring chances for and 33 scoring chances against at 5-on-5 through its first three games, good for second in the NHL entering play Thursday with a 65.26 scoring chance for percentage.
  • Before Thursday’s games, the team’s 64.63 expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 ranked second in the NHL.
  • The Sabres have successfully killed all nine of their penalties to begin the season. The last time the Sabres were perfect on the penalty kill through at least in the first four games of the season was in 2008-09 when the team opened with five straight games without allowing a power-play goal (24-for-24).

TERRIFIC TRIO

  • The line of Rasmus Asplund, Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson has accounted for four goals and six points for the Sabres this season.
  • According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, the trio has skated 32:13 together and registered a 69.81 SAT%, a 81.17 xGF% and a 86.67 HDCF%.
  • At all strengths, Asplund leads the Sabres in individual expected goals (1.64) and individual high-danger chances for (7), while Olofsson and Thompson are tied for the team lead in individual shot attempts (20).

BACK-TO-BACK
Tonight’s game opens Buffalo’s first of 17 sets of back-to-back games this season, which continues tomorrow night at New Jersey. The Sabres went 4-10-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 4-9-1 in the second game in 2020-21. Buffalo’s point breakdown in back-to-back sets last season was: four points (1), three points (1), two points (5), one point (0) and zero points (7).

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

Player, Pos. How Acquired Pronunciation Notes
Craig Anderson, G Free agency AN-duhr-suhn Ranks among the NHL’s active leaders in wins (6th, 291), saves (4th, 18,251) and shutouts (T-6th, 42).
Will Butcher, D Trade (NJD) BUH-chuhr Led all NJD defensemen in assists (92) and ranked second among Devils blueliners in points (106) since entering the NHL in 2017-18.
Robert Hagg, D Trade (PHI) HAG Averaged 15:40 of ice time over 34 games in 2020-21, recording five points (2+3) and leading PHI defensemen with 100 hits.
John Hayden, C Free Agency HAY-dihn Has compiled 31 points (13+18) in 185 career NHL games for CHI, NJD and ARI.
Vinnie Hinostroza, C Free Agency hihn-oh-STROH-za Recorded 12 points (4+8) in 17 games for CHI last season after being acquired via trade from FLA on April 2.
Mark Pysyk, D Free Agency PEH-sihk Played in 125 games for the Sabres from 2012 to 2016 after being selected by Buffalo in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft.
Christian Wolanin, D Waivers woh-LA-nihn Claimed off of waivers on Oct. 16; has 18 points (5+13) in 61 career NHL games for Ottawa and Los Angeles.

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 10/21 games)

  • Buffalo Sabres: 6 PTS (T-1st), 3 W (T-1st), 1.33 GA/GP (1st), 34.4% PP% (T-7th), 100.0% PK% (T-1st), 53.7 % FO% (8th), 28.7 SA/GP (T-7th)
  • Anderson: 2 W (T-3rd), .954 SV% (5th), 1.50 GAA (T-9th)
  • Eakin: 1 PPG (T-8th)
  • Girgensons: 1 GWG (T-1st)
  • Okposo: 1 PPG (T-8th)
  • Olofsson: 1 PPG (T-8th), 2 PPP (T-8th)
  • Skinner: 1 GWG (T-1st)
  • Thompson: 1 PPG (T-8th)
  • Tokarski: .952 SV% (T-8th), 0.92 GAA (1st) 

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Hagg (9), Miller (6), Caggiula (5)
Blocked Shots: Hagg (9), Pysyk (5), Dahlin/Eakin/Miller (3)
Shots: Olofsson/Thompson (12), Skinner (11), Miller/Okposo (10)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 3-0-0 (6), 12/4, 4/11, 9/9

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-0; 126-138 all-time)
N/A

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 … 8 games played … 500 career games played

Assists
Colin Miller … 1 assist … 100 career 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

Postgame Report: 5/3 vs. NY Islanders

Final Score

1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Final SOG
Islanders
(31-16-5)
1 1 0 2 36
Sabres
(14-32-7)
0 1 3 4 40

Game Summary
Event Summary

Top Notes

  • Michael Houser earned the win in his first career start with 34 saves.
    • He became the second Sabre this season to earn a win in his NHL debut start, joining Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who did so on April 23 vs. Boston.
    • Houser is the seventh goaltender in franchise history to win his first career start.
    • Houser’s win marks the third time in Sabres history and first time since Don Edwards and Bob Sauve did so in 1976-77 that the team has had two goaltenders win their NHL debuts in the same season.
  • Tonight’s game marked Sam Reinhart’s second three-point game and ninth multi-point game of the season (2+1). He now has 10 points (8+2) in his last games six dating back to April 23.
    • His eight goals during that stretch lead the league and his 10 points are tied for second.
  •  With a goal and an assist in his 35th game of the season, Tage Thompson tied his career highs in goals (7), assists (5) and points (12), all of which he previously set set during the 2018-19 season in 65 games.
    • Tonight marked the first multi-point game of Thompson’s career.
    • Thompson also set a new single-game career high with seven shots on goal.
  • Rasmus Asplund extended his point streak to a career-high three games (1+2) with his third-period goal.
  • With his primary assist on Thompson’s goal, Jacob Bryson now has points in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
  • William Borgen tied his season high with with a team-leading five hits (Last: 2/16/21 vs. NY Islanders).
  • Buffalo’s penalty kill is 25-for-28 (89.3%) in the team’s last 16 games against the Islanders dating back to April 2, 2017.

Tonight’s Goaltenders

Today’s Stats
Team Goaltender Decision GA SA
Islanders Varlamov L 3 39
Sabres Houser W 2 36
Updated Season Stats
Team Goaltender Record SV% GAA
Islanders Varlamov 19-10-4 .930 2.02
Sabres Houser 1-0-0 .944 2.00

 

Game Preview: 5/1/21 at Boston

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

Game Notes NHL Stats Press Clips

LAST GAME
Thursday, April 29
Buffalo 2 at Boston 5
Goals: Mittelstadt, Reinhart
Goalie: Luukkonen (35 saves/39 shots); 1 ENG
PP: 0/2; PK: 1/2; Shots: Boston 40 – Buffalo 31

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 265)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 51 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 37 games
Jack Eichel (neck, March 9; injured reserve) – 28 games
Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 21 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, April 15) – 9 games
Kyle Okposo (cheek, April 17) – 8 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
N/A

UPCOMING GAMES
Monday, May 3: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 4: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 6: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 8: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.

TODAY’S GAME
SABRES at BRUINS

  • This is the eighth and final game between the Sabres and Bruins this season.
  • Last meeting: Boston defeated Buffalo 5-2 in Boston on April 29.
  • The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Bruins; 3-6-1 on the road.
  • This is the 304th game all-time between Buffalo and Boston; Buffalo has a 126-131-46 series record.
  • The Sabres are 51-77-22 on the road against the Bruins all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

  • The Sabres are 1-0-0 all-time on May 1 (regular season).
  • May 1, 1995: Dominik Hasek records a 32-save shutout and Richard Smehlik and Alexander Mogilny score Buffalo’s goals in a 2-0 win against Montreal in the Sabres’ only regular-season game on May 1.
  • May 1, 1998: Michal Grosek scores the game-winner 5:40 into overtime and the Sabres beat Philadelphia 3-2, completing the 4-1 series win in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  • Dylan Cozens has seven assists in 11 games dating back to April 11, which ranks second among rookies during that span.
  • Casey Mittelstadt enters this afternoon’s game riding a four-game point streak (2+2). He has totaled 14 points (9+5) in his last 17 games dating back to March 31. His nine goals are second on the team in that span, trailing only Sam Reinhart (11).
  • Henri Jokiharju has two points (0+2) in three trips to TD Garden this season.
  • Entering play Friday, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 6:18 of penalty time per game. Buffalo’s 322 total penalty minutes are the fewest in the NHL.

SAM I AM

  • Sam Reinhart has scored six goals in his last four games. It marks the second time in his career and first since he scored five goals from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4, 2019 that Reinhart has scored in four consecutive games.
  • If Reinhart scores this afternoon, he will be the first Sabre to score a goal in five or more consecutive games since Thomas Vanek scored seven goals in five games from Oct. 10 to 18, 2008.
  • Sam Reinhart has recorded 15 points (10+5) in 16 games during the month of April. Reinhart leads the team in both goals and points this month.
    • Reinhart is tied for fifth in the NHL with 10 goals during the month of April.
  • Reinhart enters today’s game with 11 points (9+2) in his last nine games, including at least a point in each of his last four (6+1).
  • Reinhart has 23 goals in 49 games this season, two shy of tying his career high, which he set in 82 games during the 2017-18 season. It’s the fastest he has reached the 20-goal mark in his career. He is one of 15 players in franchise history to have at least five 20-goal seasons with the Sabres.
  • His 15 road goals this season are tied for the most in the NHL and he is tied for fourth in the league with 10 power-play goals.
  • Reinhart is one of four players in the league this season to score double digit even-strength and power-play goals (Kyle Connor, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews).
  • Outside of a stretch from March 11 to 18, Reinhart has not gone more than two consecutive games without a point this season.

TEAM LEADERS AGAINST THE BRUINS

  • Sam Reinhart leads all Sabres in goals (5) and points (5) in seven games against Boston this season.
    • Three of Reinhart’s goals have come on the power play. His three power-play goals and three power-play points both lead the team.
    • Reinhart has recorded a team-high 24 shots against the Bruins this season.
  • Dylan Cozens’ three assists in six contests against Boston lead the team. Cozens is tied with Arttu Ruotsalainen with three even-strength points.
  • Rasmus Dahlin is tied for the lead in even-strength goals (2) and leads the team in average ice time (23:09) against the Bruins this season.
  • Rasmus Ristolainen has a team-high 24 hits and 14 blocked shots in six contests against Boston this season.
  • Jeff Skinner’s nine takeaways lead all players in the season series.

ALL DAHLED UP

  • Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 11 points (3+8) in his last 15 contests dating back to April 3. Dahlin ranks in the top 10 among all NHL defensemen in goals (T-4th), assists (T-10th), and points (T-7th) during that stretch.
  • Dahlin’s eight even-strength points (3+5) since April 3 are tied for eighth in the league among defensemen.
  • He currently ranks among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (12th), .46 A/GP (5th) and .56 PTS/GP (5th).

RISTO IN THE RECORD BOOK

  • With his goal on April 6 at New Jersey, Rasmus Ristolainen took sole possession of the eighth-most goals by a defenseman in Sabres history. He now trails Richard Smehlik by one goal for seventh-most.
  • Ristolainen’s first assist on Jan. 24 at Washington moved him past Jim Schoenfeld for the seventh-most career points recorded by a Sabres defenseman. He currently trails Bill Hajt by three points for sixth-most.
  • Ristolainen holds the franchise record for most overtime goals by a defenseman (4) and is tied for ninth all-time among the team’s blueliners with six game-winning goals.
  • Ristolainen’s career per-game output ranks him among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (14th), .36 A/GP (15th), .45 PTS/GP (14th)

BUF-BOS CONNECTIONS

  • Sabres defenseman Colin Miller played the first two seasons of his NHL career 2015-16 to 2016-17) with the Bruins, totaling 29 points (9+20) in 103 games.
  • Sabres forward Sam Reinhart won a gold medal with Bruins forward Brad Marchand while the duo played for Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.
  • Sabres forward Sam Reinhart won a gold medal with Bruins forward Nick Ritchie while playing for Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt and Bruins forward Trent Frederic won a bronze medal together while playing for Team USA at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Sabres forward Tobias Rieder and Bruins defenseman John Moore were teammates in Arizona for part of the 2014-15 season.
  • Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask played for Finland’s national team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
  • Sabres forward Tage Thompson won a gold medal with Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy while playing for Team USA at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. The duo would play for Team USA together again at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league-leaders entering play Friday)

  • Reinhart: 10 PPG (T-4th)
  • Ristolainen: 173 Hits (4th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (173), Miller (86), Dahlin (73)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (58), Miller (50), Irwin (43)
Shots: Olofsson (118), Reinhart (118), Dahlin (103)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 4-4-2 (10), 30/32, 12/39, 19/23
11-20: 2-7-1 (5), 16/28, 7/23, 18/23
21-30: 0-9-1 (1), 18/45, 0/14, 18/26
31-40: 3-5-2 (8), 28/35, 3/23, 28/34
41-50: 4-5-1 (9), 29/32, 6/33, 17/22
51-56: 0-1-0 (0), 2/5, 0/2, 1/2

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-4; 126-138 all-time)
Jan. 28 vs. NYR: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lafrenière, 2:47)
Feb. 25 vs. NJD: L, 4-3 (GWG-Zacha, 1:17)
March 29 vs. PHI: L 4-3 (GWG-Provorov, 0:42)
April 1 vs. NYR: L 3-2 (GWG Zibanejad, 4:32)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (3-3; 80-74 all-time)
Jan. 22 at WSH: L, 4-3 (GDG-Carlson)
Jan. 24 at WSH: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
Jan. 30 vs. NJD: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
March 9 at PHI: L 5-4 (GDG-Couturier)
April 3 vs. NYR: W 3-2 (GDG-Thompson)
April 13 at BOS: L 3-2 (GDG-Coyle)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Rasmus Dahlin … 8 games … 200 career games

Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 1 goal … 47 career goals (T-7th in franchise history, defensemen)

Assists
Rasmus Ristolainen … 5 assists … 200 career assists
Colin Miller … 7 assists … 100 career assists

Points
Sam Reinhart … 8 points … 300 career points 

RECENT MILESTONES
N/A

Game Preview: 4/29/21 at Boston

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

Game Notes NHL Stats Press Clips

LAST GAME
Tuesday, April 27
Buffalo 1 at NY Rangers 3
Goal: Reinhart
Goalie: Luukkonen (38 saves/41 shots)
PP: 1/2; PK: 2/3; Shots: NY Rangers 41 – Buffalo 37

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 259)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 50 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 36 games
Jack Eichel (neck, March 9; injured reserve) – 27 games
Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 20 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, April 15) – 8 games
Kyle Okposo (cheek, April 17) – 7 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
N/A

 

UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, May 1: Buffalo at Boston, 1 p.m.
Monday, May 3: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 4: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 6: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 8: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME

SABRES at BRUINS

  • This is the seventh of eight meetings between the Sabres and Bruins this season.
  • Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Boston 6-4 in Buffalo on April 23.
  • Next meeting: Saturday, May 1 in Boston.
  • The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Bruins; 3-6-1 on the road.
  • This is the 303rd game all-time between Buffalo and Boston; Buffalo has a 126-130-46 series record.
  • The Sabres are 51-76-22 on the road against the Bruins all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

  • The Sabres are 0-0-1 all-time on April 29 (regular season).
  • April 29, 1992: Pat LaFontaine records four points (2+2) and 15 Sabres tally at least a point as Buffalo scores a playoff franchise-record nine goals to defeat the Bruins 9-3.
  • April 29, 1997: Derek Plante nets the game-tying goal in the third period and the game-winner 5:24 into overtime as the Sabres defeat Ottawa in game seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
  • April 29, 1998: Dominik Hasek turns away 44 shots and Miroslav Satan scores the game-winner in Buffalo’s 4-1 home win against Philadelphia.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  • Buffalo has not allowed a power-play goal in five consecutive games against the Bruins. The Sabres have killed 15 straight Boston power plays dating back to the third period of their game on March 18.
  • Buffalo is a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill in Boston this season.
  • The Sabres’ 88.9 penalty-kill percentage against the Bruins is tied for its best percentageagainst an opponent this season.
  • Dylan Cozens has seven assists in 10 games dating back to April 11, which ranks second among rookies during that span.
  • Casey Mittelstadt enters tonight’s game riding a three-game point streak (1+2). He has totaled 13 points (8+5) in his last 16 games dating back to March 31. His eight goals are second on the team in that span, trailing only Sam Reinhart (10).
  • Henri Jokiharju has two points (0+2) in two trips to TD Garden this season.
  • Entering play Monday, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 6:19 of penalty time per game. Buffalo’s 316 total penalty minutes are the fewest in the NHL.

TEAM LEADERS AGAINST THE BRUINS

  • Sam Reinhart leads all Sabres in goals (4) and points (4) in six games against Boston this season.
    • Three of Reinhart’s goals have come on the power play. His three power-play goals and three power-play points both lead the team.
    • Reinhart has recorded a team-high 17 shots against the Bruins this season.
    • Among players who have taken at least five faceoffs against Boston, Reinhart leads the team with a 53.7 win percentage.
  • Dylan Cozens’ three assists and three even-strength points in five contests against Boston both lead the team.
  • Rasmus Dahlin is tied for the lead in even-strength goals (2) and leads the team in average ice time (23:05) against the Bruins this season.
  • Rasmus Ristolainen has a team-high 21 hits and 12 blocked shots in six contests against Boston this season.
  • Jeff Skinner’s nine takeaways lead all players in the season series. The next closest players have five takeaways each (Victor Olofsson and Craig Smith).

SAM I AM

  • Sam Reinhart has recorded 14 points (9+5) in 15 games during the month of April. Reinhart leads the team in both goals and points this month.
    • Reinhart is tied for sixth in the NHL with nine goals during the month of April.
  • Reinhart enters today’s game with 10 points (8+2) in his last eight games, including at least a point in each of his last three (5+1).
  • Reinhart has 22 goals in 48 games this season, three shy of tying his career high, which he set in 82 games during the 2017-18 season. It’s the fastest he has reached the 20-goal mark in his career. He is one of 15 players in franchise history to have at least five 20-goal seasons with the Sabres.
  • His 14 road goals this season are tied for most in the NHL and he is tied for third in the league with 10 power-play goals.
  • Reinhart is one of four players in the league this season to score double digit even-strength and power-play goals (Kyle Connor, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews).
  • Outside of a stretch from March 11 to 18, Reinhart has not gone more than two consecutive games without a point this season.

ALL DAHLED UP

  • Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 11 points (3+8) in his last 14 contests dating back to April 3. Dahlin ranks in the top 10 among all NHL defensemen in goals (T-4th), assists (T-9th), and points (T-5th) during that stretch.
  • Dahlin’s eight even-strength points (3+5) since April 3 are tied for seventh in the league among defensemen.
  • Dahlin’s goal on April 23 was the 18th of his NHL career, which trails only Andrei Svechnikov (57), Joel Farabee (23) and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (22) for the most among players born in the 2000s, according to NHL Stats.
  • He currently ranks among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (12th), .47 A/GP (5th) and .56 PTS/GP (5th).

RISTO IN THE RECORD BOOK

  • With his goal on April 6 at New Jersey, Rasmus Ristolainen took sole possession of the eighth-most goals by a defenseman in Sabres history. He now trails Richard Smehlik by one goal for seventh-most.
  • Ristolainen’s first assist on Jan. 24 at Washington moved him past Jim Schoenfeld for the seventh-most career points recorded by a Sabres defenseman. He currently trails Bill Hajt by three points for sixth-most.
  • Ristolainen holds the franchise record for most overtime goals by a defenseman (4) and is tied for ninth all-time among the team’s blueliners with six game-winning goals.
  • Ristolainen’s career per-game output ranks him among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (14th), .36 A/GP (15th), .45 PTS/GP (13th)

BUF-BOS CONNECTIONS

  • Sabres defenseman Colin Miller played the first two seasons of his NHL career 2015-16 to 2016-17) with the Bruins, totaling 29 points (9+20) in 103 games.
  • Sabres forward Sam Reinhart won a gold medal with Bruins forward Brad Marchand while the duo played for Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.
  • Sabres forward Sam Reinhart won a gold medal with Bruins forward Nick Ritchie while playing for Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt and Bruins forward Trent Frederic won a bronze medal together while playing for Team USA at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Sabres forward Tobias Rieder and Bruins defenseman John Moore were teammates in Arizona for part of the 2014-15 season.
  • Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask played for Finland’s national team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
  • Sabres forward Tage Thompson won a gold medal with Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy while playing for Team USA at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship. The duo would play for Team USA together again at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league-leaders entering play Wednesday)

  • Reinhart: 22 G (10); 10 PPG (T-3)
  • Ristolainen: 170 Hits (4th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (170), Miller (86), Dahlin (69)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (56), Miller (50), Irwin (43)
Shots: Olofsson (116), Reinhart (111), Skinner (102)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 4-4-2 (10), 30/32, 12/39, 19/23
11-20: 2-7-1 (5), 16/28, 7/23, 18/23
21-30: 0-9-1 (1), 18/45, 0/14, 18/26
31-40: 3-5-2 (8), 28/35, 3/23, 28/34
41-50: 4-5-1 (9), 29/32, 6/33, 17/22

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-4; 126-138 all-time)
Jan. 28 vs. NYR: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lafrenière, 2:47)
Feb. 25 vs. NJD: L, 4-3 (GWG-Zacha, 1:17)
March 29 vs. PHI: L 4-3 (GWG-Provorov, 0:42)
April 1 vs. NYR: L 3-2 (GWG Zibanejad, 4:32)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (3-3; 80-74 all-time)
Jan. 22 at WSH: L, 4-3 (GDG-Carlson)
Jan. 24 at WSH: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
Jan. 30 vs. NJD: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
March 9 at PHI: L 5-4 (GDG-Couturier)
April 3 vs. NYR: W 3-2 (GDG-Thompson)
April 13 at BOS: L 3-2 (GDG-Coyle)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Rasmus Dahlin … 9 games … 200 career games
Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 1 goal … 47 career goals (T-7th in franchise history, defensemen)
Assists
Rasmus Ristolainen … 5 assists … 200 career assists
Colin Miller … 7 assists … 100 career assists
Points
Sam Reinhart … 9 points … 300 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
Mattias Samuelsson … First NHL point (assist)… April 23 vs BOS
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen … First NHL win … April 23 vs BOS