Tag Archives: New York Rangers

Game Preview: 4/27/21 at NY Rangers

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

Game Notes NHL Stats Press Clips

LAST GAME
Sunday, April 25
Buffalo 3 at NY Rangers 6
Goals: Skinner, Olofsson, Reinhart
Goalie: Tokarski (23 saves/28 shots); 1 ENG
PP: 1/4; PK: 1/3; Shots: NY Rangers 29 – Buffalo 34

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 253)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 49 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 35 games
Jack Eichel (neck, March 9; injured reserve) – 26 games
Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 19 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, April 15) – 7 games
Kyle Okposo (cheek, April 17) – 6 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
4/22: Activated D William Borgen from IR

 

UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, April 29: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m.
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.

TONIGHT’S GAME

SABRES at RANGERS

  • This is the eighth and final meeting between the Sabres and Rangers this season.
  • Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo 6-3 in New York on April 25.
  • The Sabres are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games vs. the Rangers; 3-7-0 on the road.
  • This is the 193rd game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 85-70-37 seri­­­es record.
  • The Sabres are 34-41-20 on the road against the Rangers all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

  • The Sabres have never played a regular-season game on April 27.
  • April 27, 1975: Gilbert Perreault (1+2), Rick Martin (1+1), Jim Lorentz (1+1), Fred Stanfield (0+2) and Peter Mcnab (0+2) all record multi-point games in the Sabres 6-5 OT win over the Montreal Canadiens.
  • April 27, 1994: Dominik Hasek stops 70 shots and Dave Hannan scores 5:43 into the fourth overtime as the Sabres beat New Jersey 1-0 in the longest game in Sabres history (125:43).
  • April 27, 1997: Steve Shields turns away 31 Ottawa shots to record his first-career playoff shutout in the Sabres 3-0 victory.
  • April 27, 1998: Miroslav Satan scores two goals and the Sabres score four goals in the second period in a 6-1 win against Philadelphia.
  • April 27, 1999: Vaclav Varada scores two goals and Alexei Zhitnik nets the game-winner in Buffalo’s 4-3 win to sweep the Ottawa Senators and move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW.

  • Sam Reinhart has recorded 13 points (8+5) in 14 games during the month of April. Reinhart leads the team in both goals and points this month.
    • Reinhart has 21 goals in 47 games this season, 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.
    • Reinhart’s 13 road goals this season are tied for third in the NHL.
  • Dylan Cozens has seven assists in his last nine games dating back to April 11. His seven assists during that span ties for the most among rookies and ties for ninth-most among all NHL skaters.
  • Casey Mittelstadt has totaled 12 points (8+4) in his last 15 games dating back to March 31. His eight goals are second most on the team in that span, trailing only Sam Reinhart (9).
  • Entering play Monday, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 6:13 of penalty time per game. Buffalo’s 305 total penalty minutes are the fewest in the NHL.

HOT AGAINST THE RANGERS

  • Sam Reinhart has eight points (3+5) in seven games against the Rangers this season. His five assists and eight points are his most against any opponent this year.
  • Victor Olofsson has tallied six points (2+4) in seven contests with New York this season. His four assists mark his most against an opponent this season.
  • Olofsson (1+2, 3 GP) and Reinhart (2+2, 3 GP), are playing at a point-per-game pace at Madison Square Garden this season.
  • Dylan Cozens’ 7 faceoff win percentage against the Rangers is his highest against any opponent he has taken at least 10 draws against.
  • Rasmus Ristolainen paces all Buffalo players in time-on-ice per game played (23:35), hits (19) and blocked shots (11).

ALL DAHLED UP

  • Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 11 points (3+8) in his last 13 contests dating back to April 3. Dahlin ranks in the top 10 among all NHL defensemen in goals (T-3rd), assists (T-6th), and points (T-3rd) during that stretch.
  • Dahlin’s eight even-strength points since April 3 are tied for third 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-NYR CONNECTIONS

  • Sabres forward Dylan Cozens and Rangers forward Alexis Lafrenière won a gold medal for Team Canada together at the 2020 IIHF World Championship.
  • Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju and Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko played together on Finland’s national team at both the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship and at the 2019 IIHF World Championship. The duo won a gold medal at both tournaments. Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was also on Finland’s roster at the World Junior Tournament with Jokiharju and Kakko.
  • Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt and Rangers defensemen Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren won a bronze medal together while representing the United States at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was held in Buffalo.
  • Sabres forward Tage Thompson won a gold medal for Team USA with Rangers defensemen Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Sabres forward Tage Thompson won a bronze medal for Team USA with Rangers forward Chris Krieder at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

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

  • Reinhart: 9 PPG (T-8)
  • Ristolainen: 167 Hits (4th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (167), Miller (86), Dahlin (67)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (56), Miller (50), Irwin (43)
Shots: Olofsson (113), Reinhart (108), Dahlin (99)

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: 4-4-1 (9), 28/29, 5/31, 15/19

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 … 10 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 … 10 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

Game Preview: 4/25/21 at NY Rangers

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

Game Notes NHL Stats Press Clips

LAST GAME
Friday, April 23
Boston 4 at Buffalo 6
Goals: Reinhart (3), Dahlin, Mittelstadt, Ruotsalainen
Goalie: Luukkonen (36 saves/40 shots)
PP: 2/3; PK: 1/1; Shots: Boston 40 – Buffalo 34

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 247)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 48 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 34 games
Jack Eichel (neck, March 9; injured reserve) – 25 games
Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 18 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, April 15) – 6 games
Kyle Okposo (cheek, April 17) – 5 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
4/20: Signed Lukas Rousek to a two-year, entry-level contract; Recalled G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the taxi squad; Reassigned G Michael Houser to the taxi squad
4/22: Activated D William Borgen from IR

 

UPCOMING GAMES
Tuesday, April 27: Buffalo at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 29: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m.
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.

TONIGHT’S GAME

SABRES at RANGERS

  • This is the seventh of eight meetings between the Sabres and Rangers this season.
  • Last meeting: Buffalo defeated New York 3-2 (SO) in Buffalo on April 3.
  • Next meeting: Tuesday, April 27 in New York.
  • The Sabres are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games vs. the Rangers; 3-7-0 on the road.
  • This is the 192nd game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 85-69-37 seri­­­es record.
  • The Sabres are 34-40-20 on the road against the Rangers all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

  • The Sabres have never played a regular-season game on April 25.
  • April 25, 1999: Dominik Hasek stops 31 shots to record his sixth career playoff shutout and Brian Holzinger scores two goals in a 3-0 win against the Senators.
  • April 25, 2007: Thomas Vanek nets two goals, including the game-winner, as Buffalo defeats the Rangers 5-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW.

  • Sam Reinhart has recorded 11 points (7+4) in 13 games during the month of April. Reinhart is tied for the team lead in goals and leads the team in points this month.
    • Reinhart has 20 goals in 46 games this season, 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.
    • Reinhart’s 12 road goals this season are tied for fifth in the NHL.
  • Dylan Cozens has seven assists in his last eight games dating back to April 11. His seven assists during that span leads all rookies and ties for second-most among all NHL skaters.
  • Casey Mittelstadt has totaled 11 points (8+3) in his last 14 games. His eight goals ties him with Reinhart for the team lead during that stretch.
  • Dustin Tokarski was named the NHL’s first star of the week for the week ending April 18.
    • Tokarski made a league-best 128 saves on 137 shots during the week, compiling a 2.27 goals-against average and .934 save percentage.
    • Tokarski ranks fifth in the NHL with 273 saves during the month of April.
  • Entering play Saturday, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 6:13 of penalty time per game. Buffalo has been assessed 299 total penalty minutes this season, nine fewer than the next closest team, the Chicago Blackhawks.

HOT AGAINST THE RANGERS

  • Sam Reinhart has six points (2+4) in six games against the Rangers this season. His four assists are his most against an opponent and six points tie for his most against an opponent.
  • Victor Olofsson tallied five points (1+4) in six contests with New York this season. His four assists mark his most against an opponent this season.
  • Rasmus Asplund (1+0, 1 GP), Olofsson (0+2, 2 GP), Reinhart (1+1, 2 GP), and Tobias Rieder (1+0, 1 GP) are all playing at a point-per-game pace at Madison Square Garden this season.
  • Dylan Cozens’ 9 faceoff win percentage against the Rangers is his highest against any opponent he has taken at least 10 draws against.
  • Rasmus Ristolainen paces all Buffalo players in time-on-ice per game played (24:25), hits (14) and blocked shots (11).

ALL DAHLED UP

  • Rasmus Dahlin has recorded ten points (3+7) in his last 12 contests dating back to April 3. Dahlin ranks in the top-10 among all NHL defensemen in goals (T-2nd), assists (T-7th), and points (T-2nd) during that stretch.
  • Dahlin’s seven even-strength points since April 3 are tied for fourth 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): .10 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), .37 A/GP (15th), .45 PTS/GP (13th)

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

  • Reinhart: 9 PPG (T-8)
  • Ristolainen: 162 Hits (4th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (162), Miller (86), Dahlin (66)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (56), Miller (50), Irwin (43)
Shots: Olofsson (109), Reinhart (105), Dahlin (96)

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: 4-3-1 (9), 25/23, 4/27, 14/16

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
N/A
Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 1 goal … 47 career goals (T-7th in franchise history, defensemen)
Assists
Rasmus Ristolainen … 5 assists … 200 career assists
Colin Miller … 8 assists … 100 career assists
Points
N/A

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

Postgame Report: 4/3 vs. NY Rangers

Final Score

1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Final SOG
Rangers
(17-15-5)
1 1 0 0 0 2 30
Sabres
(8-23-6)
1 0 1 0 1 3 29

Game Summary
Event Summary

Top Notes

  • Linus Ullmark was a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout to secure the Sabres’ win. Ullmark’s .868 career save percentage ranks first in the NHL all-time among goalies who have appeared in at least 10 shootouts.
    • Ullmark is 12-for-13 (.923) in the shootout this season.
  • Casey Mittelstadt’s first-period goal extended his point streak to three games (2+1).
    • The streak is his longest since he also had points in three straight from Oct. 17 to Oct. 22, 2019, totaling five points (3+2) during that span.
    • Mittelstadt also won a career-high 10 faceoffs tonight, going 10-for-19 at the faceoff dot.
  • With the primary assist on Victor Olofsson’s goal, Kyle Okposo now has seven points (2+5) in his last seven games played.
  • Sam Reinhart has recorded seven points (3+4) in his last seven home games against the Rangers and has totaled six points (2+4) in six games against New York this season.
  • Tage Thompson’s deciding goal in the shootout was the second shootout goal of his career (Nov. 24, 2018) and first game-winner.
  • With his assist on Mittelstadt’s goal, Taylor Hall now has 14 points (5+9) in 14 career home games against the Rangers.

Tonight’s Goaltenders

Tonight’s Stats
Team Goaltender Decision GA SA
Rangers Shesterkin SOL 2 29
Sabres Ullmark W 2 30
Updated Season Stats
Team Goaltender Record SV% GAA
Rangers Shesterkin 9-8-2 .925 2.27
Sabres Ullmark 7-5-3 .921 2.44

 

Game Preview: 4/3/21 vs. NY Rangers

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

Game Notes NHL Stats Press Clips

LAST GAME
Thursday, April 1
NY Rangers 3 at Buffalo 2 (OT)
Goals: Asplund, Thompson
Goalie: Tokarski (44 saves/47 shots)
PP: 0/1; PK: 4/4; Shots: NY Rangers 47 – Buffalo 23

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 167)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 36 games
William Borgen (forearm, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 22 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 22 games
Jack Eichel (upper body, March 9; injured reserve) – 13 games
Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 6 games
Dylan Cozens (upper body) – 2 games
Curtis Lazar (upper body, April 1; injured reserve) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
3/27: Activated F Kyle Okposo and G Linus Ullmark from IR; Recalled F Jean-Sebastien Dea from the taxi squad; Loaned F C.J. Smith and G Michael Houser to the taxi squad
3/28: Reassigned F Brett Murray and G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to the Rochester Americans (AHL)
3/29: Loaned F Jean-Sebastien Dea and F Steven Fogarty to the taxi squad
3/31: Recalled F Steven Fogarty from the taxi squad
4/1: Placed F Curtis Lazar on IR; Activated F Rasmus Asplund off of IR
4/2: Reassigned F C.J. Smith and D Brandon Davidson to the Rochester Americans (AHL)
4/2: Reassigned F C.J. Smith and D Brandon Davidson from the Rochester Americans (AHL) to the taxi squad

UPCOMING GAMES
Tuesday, April 6: Buffalo at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 8: New Jersey at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 9: Washington at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 11: Buffalo at Philadelphia, 2 p.m.
Tuesday, April 13: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
RANGERS at SABRES

  • This is the sixth of eight meetings between the Sabres and Rangers this season.
  • Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo 3-2 (OT) in Buffalo on April 1.
  • Next meeting: Saturday, April 25 in New York.
  • The Sabres are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games vs. the Rangers; 3-3-4 at home.
  • This is the 191st game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 84-69-37 seri­­­es record.
  • The Sabres are 50-29-17 at home against the Rangers all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

  • The Sabres are 11-11-2 all-time on April 3.
  • April 3, 1982: Gilbert Perreault becomes the 16th NHL player ever to record 1,000 points in a 5-4 win vs. Montreal. Perreault, who finished his Sabres career with 1,326 points, remains the only player to record 1,000 points for the club.
  • April 3, 2006: The Sabres clinch a playoff spot with a 3-2 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.
  • April 3, 2008: Ryan Miller appears in his 76th game of the season, the most ever by a Buffalo goaltender.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

  • Sam Reinhart has recorded six points (3+3) in his last six home games against the Rangers and has totaled five points (2+3) in five games against New York this season.
  • Victor Olofsson has tallied four assists in five meetings with the Rangers this season.
  • Rasmus Asplund has two goals in two games against New York this season.
  • If the Sabres score first tonight, it will mark the fifth consecutive game that they will have opened the scoring, their longest such streak of the season.
  • Buffalo has been perfect on the penalty kill in 19 of its 36 games this season.

PK PROWESS

  • The Sabres have been perfect on the penalty kill in 19 of their 36 games played this season, including each of their last four and five of their last six.
  • Buffalo has killed off 14 consecutive penalties, the team’s longest streak since it successfully killed 20 straight penalties from Dec. 3 to 18, 2018.
  • In the six-game span dating back to March 24, the team has gone 21-for-23 while down a man (91.3 percent) and scored two shorthanded goals for a net penalty-kill percentage of 100 percent.
  • Kyle Okposo (8th, 2.31) and Tobias Rieder (9th, 2.40) both rank in the top 10 among NHL forwards in power-play goals against per 60 this season (min. 12 minutes SH TOI).
  • Riley Sheahan currently leads all Sabres with 2:30 of shorthanded ice time per game.
  • Jacob Bryson ranks second among all NHL rookies this season with 2:26 of shorthanded ice time per game.

RISTO IN THE RECORD BOOK

  • With his goal on March. 4 at the NY Islanders, Rasmus Ristolainen moved into a tie with Tyler Myers and Jim Schoenfeld for the eighth-most goals by a defenseman in Sabres history. He now trails Richard Smehlik by two goals 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 seven 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 (12th), .37 A/GP (15th), .45 PTS/GP (12th)

BUF-NYR CONNECTIONS

  • Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju and Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko played together on Finland’s national team at both the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship and at the 2019 IIHF World Championship. The duo won a gold medal at both tournaments.
  • Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt and Rangers defensemen Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren won a bronze medal together while representing the United States at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, which was held in Buffalo.
  • Sabres forward Kyle Okposo played for Team USA at the 2010 IIHF World Championship with Rangers forward Chris Krieder.
  • Sabres forward Tage Thompson won a gold medal for Team USA with Rangers defensemen Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Sabres forward Tage Thompson won a bronze medal for Team USA with Rangers forward Chris Krieder at the 2018 IIFH World Championship.

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

  • Montour: 2 SHG (T-2), 2 SHP (T-8); Okposo: 2 SHP (T-8)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (111), Miller (71), Lazar (64)
Blocked Shots: Montour (47), Irwin (38), Miller (36)
Shots: Hall (86), Olofsson (83), Reinhart (73)

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: 1-3-2 (4), 15/20, 1/13, 21/23

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 (2-2; 79-73 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)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Victor Olofsson … 4 games played … 100 games played
Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 2 goals … 47 career goals (T-7th in franchise history, defensemen)
Kyle Okposo … 2 goals … 200 career goals
Assists
Rasmus Ristolainen … 8 assists … 200 career assists
Colin Miller … 10 assists … 100 career assists
Points
Rasmus Dahlin … 4 points … 100 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
Steven Fogarty … first career NHL goal … March 31 vs. PHI

Postgame Report: 4/1 vs. NY Rangers

Final Score

1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Final SOG
Rangers
(17-15-4)
0 1 1 1 3 47
Sabres
(7-23-6)
1 0 1 0 2 32

Game Summary
Event Summary

Top Notes

  • Dustin Tokarski made a career-high 44 saves tonight, his highest total since he turned away 41 shots on March 17, 2015.
    • His 44 saves tonight are the most by a Buffalo goaltender since Linus Ullmark made 44 saves on Dec. 2, 2019 vs. New Jersey.
    • The 47 shots Tokarski faced tonight are also a single-game career high.
  • Per NHL Stats, Tage Thompson’s game-tying goal tonight was tied for the third latest in Sabres franchise history.
    • Thomas Vanek scored with two seconds left in a 5-4 shootout win against Montreal on Feb. 7, 2013 and Phil Housley scored with three seconds left on Jan. 7, 1983, a 5-5 tie with Vancouver.
  • Rasmus Asplund opened the scoring tonight with his third goal of the season, two of which have come against the Rangers.
    • Asplund’s goal marked his third point of the season, tying his total last season in 29 games as a rookie.
  • Buffalo has been perfect on the penalty kill in 19 of its 36 games this season.
    • Tonight was the fourth time this season that the Sabres have killed off at least four penalties in a game.
  • The Sabres have scored the first goal in their last four games, matching their longest such streak of the season (Feb. 20 to Feb. 25).

Tonight’s Goaltenders

Tonight’s Stats
Team Goaltender Decision GA SA
Rangers Shesterkin W 2 23
Sabres Tokarski O 3 47
Updated Season Stats
Team Goaltender Record SV% GAA
Rangers Shesterkin 9-8-1 .924 2.29
Sabres Tokarski 0-3-1 .904 3.79