Sabres Hockey Central

Captain Completes Comeback

Kevin Freiheit — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:10:31 +0000

With three first period goals, it looked as if the Islanders were on their way to a convincing win over Buffalo. After all, the Sabres had never led at any point in the season series, having lost both previous games.

Saturday turned out to be different as the Sabres clawed their way back and won by way of the shootout. Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville scored in the shootout as Ryan Miller stopped both Islanders shooters to give the Sabres a 4-3 win.

With the victory, Miller became the Sabres winningest goaltender in franchise history, passing Dominik Hasek in wins.

“I was really excited in coming in as a young player and looking up to Dominik Hasek,” Miller said.

Turnovers hurt the Sabres early on, as they led to a few Islanders goals.

The Islanders got on the board quickly, scoring just 1:39 into the opening period. Frans Nielsen’s 8th goal of the season snapped Ryan Miller’s shutout streak at 122:30.

However, the Sabres battled back and Nathan Gerbe tallied his 5th of the year, tying the game at one.

Josh Bailey gave New York the lead just as his team returned to full strength. Nielsen earned his second goal of the night and third point and gave the Islanders a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

Although the Sabres outshot the Isles 15-8 in the first period, it was the Islanders who capitalized on their scoring chances.

Derek Roy scored the lone goal of the second period, cutting the lead in half and bringing the Sabres within one.

The Sabres applied consistent pressure early in the third period, and eventually, it paid off. Paul Gaustad beat Montoya to tie the game at three.

In overtime the Sabres took a too many men penalty, resulting in a power play opportunity for the Islanders. The penalty killers did their job and managed to block shot after shot and hung on to force a shootout.

Miller stopped 35 of 38 shots, earning the win.

Al Montoya stopped 34 of 37, but couldn’t make a stop in the shootout.

The Sabres will head home and begin a four game homestand Wednesday night against Boston. That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Goals by Period
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	SO	Total
	1	1	1	2-0	4
	3	0	0	0-2	3

Shots on Goal
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Total
	17	9	10	1	37
	9	9	11	9	38

Scoring Summary:
Per	Team	Time	Goal	Primary Assist:	Secondary Assist:
1		1:39	Frans Nielsen (8)	Michael Grabner (8)	–
1		5:32	Nathan Gerbe (5)	Drew Stafford (16)	–
1		16:00	Josh Bailey (6)	Frans Nielsen (16)	–
1		17:17	Frans Nielsen (9)	Kyle Okposo (16)	Mark Streit (26)
2		18:41	Derek Roy (10)	Ville Leino (9)	Jason Pominville (31)
3		19:08	Paul Gaustad (6)	Tyler Myers (7)	Brad Boyes (10)

Penalty Summary:
Per	Team	Player	Penalty	Minutes
1		Brad Boyes	High Sticking	2:00
1		Nino Niederreiter	High Sticking	2:00
2		Matt Martin	Fighting	5:00
2		Patrick Kaleta	Fighting	5:00
OT		Ville Leino	Too Many Men on the Ice	2:00

Goaltenders:
Team	Goaltender	Svs-SA	Decision
	Ryan Miller	35-38	Win (14-15-3)
	Al Montoya	34-37	Loss (6-5-5)

Sabres/Islanders Preview

Kevin Freiheit — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:31:41 +0000

The Buffalo Sabres head to Long Island tonight to take on the New York Islanders.

Buffalo heads into this game coming off a tough 1-0 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday but they come into the game with the Islanders somewhat healthy.

Thomas Vanek will still be out of the lineup but Drew Stafford will be returning after missing Wednesday’s game with the flu. Tyler Ennis will also be a go after getting the flu on Thursday.

Forward Zack Kassian will travel with the team to Long Island but it is unknown if he will be in the lineup.

The Islanders head into this game coming off of a win on Friday night. New York was in Ottawa to face the Senators and it would take overtime to decide a winner. The hero in that game was forward Mark Eaton who scored the game-winner 2:35 into the extra frame.

The Sabres are currently in 13th place with a 21-24-6 record and 48 points while the Islanders currently sit in 12th place with a 21-22-7 record and 49 points.

The game will be broadcast live on MSG and the puck will drop at 7 PM.

Goaltenders vs. Opponent
Goaltender	Record	Sv %	GAA	Shutouts
Ryan Miller vs. NYI	11-8-2	.894	3.22	2
Al Montoya vs. BUF	2-0-0	.933	1.84	0

Sabres Leading Scorers:
Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Jason Pominville	51	17	30	47
Thomas Vanek	50	19	22	41
Derek Roy	49	9	16	25
Drew Stafford	49	8	15	23
Luke Adam	50	10	10	20

Islanders Leading Scorers:
Player	GP	G	A	PTS
John Tavares	50	22	31	53
P.A. Parenteau	50	11	36	47
Matt Moulson	50	23	23	46
Mark Streit	48	3	25	28
Kyle Okposo	48	12	15	27

Special Teams:
Team	PP	Rank	PK	Rank
Buffalo Sabres	17.1%	17th	81.6%	20th
New York Islanders	20%	5th	84.7%	8th

Flashback: The Great One Reaches a Milestone

Adam Lindsay — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:39:33 +0000

I know this is a Sabres website. I know that we are here to celebrate the Buffalo Sabres. When looking back to find some old footage and box scores on some older Sabres games (pre current divisional alignment), it was hard to find a lot of info pre internet age.

Even though the Sabres lost the game I am about to recall, I feel in this new era of Pegullaville, Hockey-Heaven etc, that this is a prime example of why Terry Pegula has brought the city of Buffalo back to the forefront of sports prominence in the Buffalo and Western New York/Southern Ontario Region.

It was a cold night back in 1982, no snow according to the almanac, but a cold 24 degrees near face-off time. In the eyes of a Buffalonian, this was a spring evening made for hockey.

The Wayne Gretzky led Edmonton Oilers were in town to play a match at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Three nights prior in Detroit against the Red wings, #99 had scored his 76th goal of the season tying the mark held by Phil Esposito.

This record was set in the 1970-71 season while playing for the Boston Bruins and held by Esposito until this fateful night.

The first period started up with no real action to report. A few shots on goal were placed on the goalies for both squads, Don Edwards for Buffalo and Future Buffalo Sabre Grant Fuhr on the other end of the ice.

From all the information I could find, there were no penalties and no major events in the first half of the period. At the 10:59 mark, another future Sabre, Charlie Huddy, received a pass from Wayne Gretzky and sent a shot past the pads of Don Edwards.

This put the Oilers up 1-0. Two minutes and thirty seven seconds later, the Oilers struck again on a nice goal by winger Pat Hughes past Don Edwards moving Edmonton ahead 2-0. Buffalo got on the board at 15:01 of the first on a goal by Buffalo’s own Great one number 11, Gilbert Perreault.

Less then two minutes later, future hall of famer Jarri Kurri slapped his 27th of the year past Donnie Edwards to give the Oilers back their lead by two goals to end the period, with Gretzky getting the primary assist. The Sabres outshot the Oilers 7-6, however the oilers made their shots count scoring on 50% of them.

The second period started off for Buffalo at 4:04, with Perreault getting his second of the game and 25th of the season to bring Buffalo within one on a nice give and go with Mike Ramsey and Richie Dunn. There were a few minor penalties in the second period, including some matching roughing minors to Mike Ramsey and Paul Coffey.

Don Edwards showed great poise in the net, stopping all 14 of the shots he faced from Edmonton. Buffalo had fired six at Fuhr. With the uneventful second period completed, for the most part, the third period would provide enough excitement for the entire evening.

In true Gilbert Perreault form, the Buffalo Sabre great came out in

the first three minutes of the third period and buried a shot past Fuhr, giving him the hat trick and getting the Sabres back into the game. After the hats were cleared off the ice, and the crowd died down, the real fireworks started.

It was over half way through the third period with the teams at a stalemate tied 3-3, that the man we affectionately call “The Great One” now took over the game single-handedly. At just over the 13 minute mark, there was a scramble at the Sabres blue line in which Steve Patrick (brother of current Sabre bench coach James Patrick) had the puck on his stick looking to exit the zone.

As he turned to his left, Gretzky was there to poke check Patrick and take the puck right off his stick. In true “Great One” fashion, Gretzky walked around Patrick on the outside left of the defenseman. With Patrick hanging all over him including a hook that pinned Gretzky’s right arm and elbow into the side of his body, #99 pulled a forehand-backhand-forehand combination that not only withstands the hook from Patrick, but fooled Sabre goalkeeper Don Edwards into opening the five hole.

Gretzky slipped the wrist shot under Edwards right pad as he was sliding across the crease and scores to put Edmonton up 4-3. This was Gretzky’s 77th goal breaking Phil Esposito’s single season goal mark. As soon as the puck hits the net, what happens next is the reason I love the sport of hockey and being a Buffalonian.

The crowd at the Aud erupted with such force, that even in the video of the goal that is 30 years old, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. All 16,433 fans in attendance that night are on their feet, screaming, clapping, chanting applauding Mr. Wayne Gretzky on his record-breaking goal.

The Oiler bench empties and they mob Gretzky along the boards in the Buffalo end. You would think that the Buffalo Sabres had won the Stanley Cup, and in reality what was happening was the city was showing their class for the greatest hockey player to ever put on a sweater.

Gretzky skated back and forth across the ice waiving at the Buffalo crowd thanking them for their cheers. The Auditorium staff blares “Celebration”, by Kool and The Gang through the loud speakers and everything came to a stand still.

The announcers on the broadcast advised that it seemed there was going to be a presentation at center ice, and low and behold Mr. Phil Esposito himself made his way down to the penalty box area. He had the puck in his hand and said the following:

“Thank you. Wayne, I want to congratulate you, man. And I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of this. I mean it, Wayne. Thank you. Congratulations.” As Esposito handed the puck to #99, the crowd again erupted in cheering and a standing ovation that seemed to last a lifetime. Little did the Buffalo fans know this was not the end of the Great One’s night.

Five minutes and eight seconds later, at the 18:16 mark of the third period, Sabres defenseman Mike Ramsey was in the Edmonton zone battling for the puck on the left wing boards and sent a pass into the slot which was intercepted by Mark Messier.

With a seemingly effortless flick of the wrist, he sent a pass up the right wing to a streaking Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky took the pass and moved the puck forehand-backhand-forehand and goes around Steve Patrick.

On the last deke, he gets Buffalo goalie Don Edwards moving to his left and then rifled a quick slap-shot off the glove of Edwards and into the net for #78. The Buffalo crowd once again erupted with cheers for the effort put forth by Gretzky. This goal was the dagger in the hearts of the Sabres coming late in the third period, killing any hopes of a come back. However, the night was not done.

Gilbert Perreault took a tripping penalty at 19:00 minutes of the third period, and Gretzky stepped onto the ice to work the power play. Messier had the puck behind the net in the Edmonton zone. With a clean pass up the center of the ice to the center ice line, the puck was tipped by Oilers Forward Patrick Hughes directly onto the stick of Wayne Gretzky, who turned on the speed at the Buffalo blue line blowing past Richie Dunn on the left wing.

As he got up to the top of the circle, Gretzky unloaded a slap shop that beat the Buffalo goalie who had come out 10 feet from the crease to challenge the shot. Goal #79 hits the back of the net, completing the natural hat trick for #99, Wayne Gretzky.

As the time ran out, the Oilers exited the bench and mob Gretzky again, down in the Oilers goal crease. In a show of absolute sportsmanship, Don Edwards skated down the ice and shook the hand of the man who just set a record against him, that to this day, has not been approached or broken. Gretzky once again saluted the crowd, and the teams left the ice.

Again, I want to point out that I know this is a Sabre site. However, I am a hockey fan also. Wayne Gretzky is one of the reasons I watch hockey today. For the city of Buffalo, and the Sabres fans to embrace Wayne Gretzky that night as one of their own was a great thing to see.

Those 16,433 fans witnessed something the rest of may never see again, hockey history. I wish I was old enough back then to remember the game myself. I have been going to games since I was six years old, and have never seen anything like that before. Please enjoy the video below, the quality is quite good for the age of it.

Sabres Off-Day Injury Update

Ryan Wolfe — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:19:19 +0000

The Buffalo Sabres had practice this morning, after their 1-0 shootout loss last night, and there was some good news to report.

Forward Drew Stafford is feeling better after missing last night’s game with the flu. He should be good to play this Saturday’s game against the Islanders.

Forward Tyler Ennis missed practice today with the flu and should also be good to play Saturday night against the Islanders.

Defenseman Brayden McNabb has been cleared to play and was subsequently sent down to the Rochester Americans. “He needs to play,” said Lindy Ruff. “He needs to play big minutes.” With McNabb being healthy and the top six defensemen for the Sabres being healthy, this move seemed to almost be a no-brainer.

Also, Bill Hoppe provided an update on Thomas Vanek last night.

#Sabres Thomas Vanek’s tests went well — could be a week or so — just pain management.

— Bill Hoppe (@BillHoppeSabres) February 2, 2012

Nobody wants to jinx it but the Sabres seem like they are all finally getting healthy. If last night was any showing of what this team can do when it is close to being healthy, it should be a treat once Thomas Vanek is able to return to the lineup.

Looking Into February

Kevin Freiheit — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:05:37 +0000

We can only hope that the month of February will be much better than the last few months.

Buffalo will play 13 games, and desperately need to start earning some points.

The Sabres will play just four road games during the month of February, giving them a chance to make up some ground on home ice.

It was around this time last year when the Sabres began their turnaround. The team went 21-8-5 to finish the regular season and they will need a similar record from here on out for any postseason hopes.

Going 21-7-5 would put the Sabres in the 8th spot (based on projected point totals).

It’s a tall task for a team that’s been struggling and dealing with injuries, but they did do it last year.

However, the Sabres have scored two or fewer goals in 15 of the past 19 games and need to find some offense.

Also, if you have not seen the new video opening for the Sabres, I think you should take a look:

Tough Luck as Sabres Fall in Shootout

Kevin Freiheit — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:50:47 +0000

Coming off of back-to-back victories for the first time since early November, the Sabres tried to make it three in a row by facing the top team in the Eastern Conference.

Although the Sabres’ offense were not able to score a goal in regulation, Ryan Miller and the defense kept the Rangers scoreless, sending this one to a shootout.

Ryan Callahan netted the game-winner in the 5th round, sending his team home with two points and a 1-0 win.

Tyler Ennis had a great shot in the 4th round, but rang it off the pipe.

Although the Sabres lost, the earned a point, and now have a string of eight consecutive home games in which they have earned a point (4-0-4).

The Rangers came into the game with 67 points and a 16-7-3 road record. Former Sabre Martin Biron was on the bench but did not make an appearance in goal.

The Sabres fell to 18-2-2 when allowing two or fewer goals.

Early in the first period, Referee Kelly Sutherland was hit in the face with the puck after it was deflected from a shot from the point. He didn’t return.

Buffalo had a chance with the two man advantage for 42 seconds, but failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

The team ended the first period in a 0-0 tie, and it would remain that way through regulation.

“I thought our fans in the third period got us going,” Ruff said. “This building got some life.”

Both teams had their chances, but Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist were perfect.

“Miller was the Miller of old,” said John Tortorella. “He was big, he was dominant. Hank and Miller put on a show.”

Derek Roy had a chance to win it in the dying seconds of overtime but hit the post.

“Derek Roy has to put that one away, can’t let it get away,” Lindy Ruff said.

Brad Boyes had an opportunity to score in the shootout, but Lundqvist made the save as the puck was heading toward the goal line.

With Thomas Vanek nursing an upper-body injury, captain Jason Pominville is now the only Sabres player to have played in every game this season.

The Sabres are on pace for 377 man games lost this season, which would be the highest total since they started keeping track of the stat in the 1998-99 season.

These two teams will meet again later this month in New York.

The Sabres will head to Long Island to take on the Islanders on Saturday night.

Goals by Period
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	SO	Total
	0	0	0	1-5	0
	0	0	0	2-5	1

Shots on Goal
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Total
	11	8	12	2	33
	9	10	6	4	29

Penalty Summary:
Per	Team	Player	Penalty	Minutes
1		Mike Rupp	Hooking	2:00
1		Dan Girardi	Tripping	2:00
1		Patrick Kaleta	Roughing	2:00
1		Brian Boyle	Roughing	2:00
2		Stu Bickel	Hooking	2:00
3		Tyler Ennis	High Sticking	2:00
3		Anton Stralman	High Sticking	2:00
3		Michael Del Zotto	Delay of Game	2:00
OT		Tyler Ennis	Boarding	2:00

Goaltenders:
Team	Goaltender	Svs-SA	Decision
	Ryan Miller	29-29	Loss (13-15-3)
	Henrik Lundqvist	34-34	Win (23-10-4)

Sabres Look to Extend Winning Streak vs. Rangers

Ryan Wolfe — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:22:38 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, do not be alarmed when I tell you that the Buffalo Sabres have won back-to-back games for the first time since November 2011, or 83 days to make seem just that much longer.

Tonight, the Sabres are back in the First Niagara Center and they welcome the Eastern Conference leading New York Rangers.

The Rangers come into this game off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Devils. New York led late into the third period but they would allow the game-tying goal with 48 seconds left in the third period. In the shootout, Martin Biron allowed a goal on the first shot and that would end up being the difference.

Buffalo comes into this game riding high off a victory against one of their division-rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. The Sabres lost Thomas Vanek for “at least a week” due to an upper-body injury in the first period but were able to rally together and pull off an impressive 3-1 win.

The game will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network or you can listen to the game on WGR 550. The puck will drop at 7:30 pm.

Goaltenders vs. Opponent
Goaltender	Record	Sv %	GAA	Shutouts
Ryan Miller vs. NYR	12-5-2	.923	2.37	0
Henrik Lundqvist vs. BUF	8-8-2	.919	2.44	0

Sabres Leading Scorers:
Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Jason Pominville	50	17	30	47
Thomas Vanek	50	19	22	41
Derek Roy	48	9	16	25
Drew Stafford	49	8	15	23
Luke Adam	49	10	10	20

Rangers Leading Scorers:
Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Marian Gaborik	48	25	16	41
Ryan Callahan	48	17	19	36
Brad Richards	48	16	17	33
Derek Stephan	48	10	21	31
Michael Del Zotto	48	6	19	25

Special Teams:
Team	PP	Rank	PK	Rank
Buffalo Sabres	17.8%	17th	81.4%	20th
New York Rangers	13.9%	25th	87.1%	3rd

What We Learned From January

Kevin Freiheit — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:54:38 +0000

Here is a look at the Sabres game by game schedule and results for the month of January. Click on the score to view the SHC recap for that game.

Day	Date	Time	H/A
January
Tuesday	Jan. 3rd	W 4-3	Home
Friday	Jan. 6th	L 4-2	Away
Saturday	Jan. 7th	L 2-1 (OT)	Home
Tuesday	Jan. 10th	L 2-0	Away
Friday	Jan. 13th	W 3-2	Home
Saturday	Jan. 14th	L 4-2	Away
Monday	Jan. 16th	L 5-0	Away
Wednesday	Jan. 18th	L 6-2	Away
Thursday	Jan. 19th	L 4-1	Away
Saturday	Jan. 21st	L 4-2	Away
Tuesday	Jan. 24th	W 2-1 (SO)	Away
Tuesday	Jan. 31st	W 3-1	Away

After going 4-7-3 in December, things didn’t get much better for the Sabres in January.

The Sabres went 4-7-1, earning nine out of a possible 24 points, further hurting any playoff chances.

Buffalo scored more than three goals just once during January, a main reason for their struggles. Throughout the 13 games, the Sabres were only able to score 22 goals.

A brutal road trip against some of the league’s best home teams didn’t help the cause. The Sabres were outscored 25-12 on the seven game road trip, and only took four points out of a possible 14.

The two lone wins came in a shootout against New Jersey, which snapped the Sabres 12 game road losing streak, and in a 3-1 win over Montreal.

With every loss, Buffalo continued to fall further down in the standings and, at one point, found themselves sitting in 15th in the Eastern Conference.

The Sabres are nine points out of a playoff spot, and while it’s not impossible, it would take quite a turnaround. No team has ever made the playoffs when trailing by nine or more points at the All Star break.

On a positive note, Captain Jason Pominville and Luke Adam were selected to attend All Star weekend in Ottawa.

With a little more than two months to go in the season, fans are waiting for some kind of turnaround, one similar to that of last year’s.

Sabres Leave Montreal With 2 Points

Kevin Freiheit — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:24:42 +0000

After a week between games, the Sabres looked fresh and earned a much needed two points in Montreal. The Sabres finished the seven game road trip and will now return home tomorrow against the Rangers.

Although they started 0-5 on the road trip, the Sabres put together a pair of victories and have now won two consecutive games, something they haven’t done since early November.

A team that dropped a dozen straight road games found a way to win two straight. After hitting four goal posts through two periods, it looked like the Sabres couldn’t catch a break, but their hard work paid off.

Carey Price stopped 37 of 39, but Ryan Miller came up big and the Sabres managed to score three times and hang on to win.

Paul Gaustad’s goal in the third period put the Sabres up 2-1, and that turned out to be the game-winner.

Ryan Miller stopped all but one shot on 28 attempts, earning his 234th victory, tying him for the all-time lead with Dominik Hasek.

Max Pacioretty started the scoring in the opening period, but the Sabres were in control for most of the game, even though the scoreboard may not reflect it.

Ville Leino tied the game four minutes into the second period, and the Sabres kept putting on the pressure.

Patrick Kaleta finished it off with an empty net goal, which gives the Sabres just two on the season, tying them for the fewest in the league with Montreal.

The Sabres did receive some bad news, as forward Thomas Vanek left the game and did not return due to an upper-body injury.

The Sabres improved to 3-0 at the Bell Centre this year and six straight against Montreal. It was the type of game many Sabres fans have been waiting for.

Now the question is if they can keep it going or not.

The Sabres will head home to take on the Rangers Wednesday night. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be on NBC Sports Network and on WGR 550.

Goals by Period
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
	0	1	2	3
	1	0	0	1

Shots on Goal
Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
	11	18	10	40
	8	7	13	28

Scoring Summary:
Per	Team	Time	Goal	Primary Assist:	Secondary Assist:
1		4:09	Max Pacioretty (18)	Josh Gorges (10)	–
2		4:01	Ville Leino (4)	Paul Gaustad (7)	Christian Ehrhoff (15)
3		6:17	Paul Gaustad (5)	Brad Boyes (9)	–
3		19:08	Patrick Kaleta (4)	Christian Ehrhoff (16)	Paul Gaustad (9)

Penalty Summary:
Per	Team	Player	Penalty	Minutes
1		Cody McCormick	Roughing	2:00
1		Scott Gomez	Holding	2:00
1		Mike Weber	Tripping	2:00
1		Josh Gorges	Hooking	2:00
2		P.K. Subban	Tripping	2:00
3		Andreas Engqvist	Tripping	2:00

Goaltenders:
Team	Goaltender	Svs-SA	Decision
	Ryan Miller	27-28	Win (13-15-2)
	Carey Price	37-40	Loss (17-18-8)

Sabres Look to Continue Winning in Montreal

Ryan Wolfe — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:00:52 +0000

The last time we saw the Buffalo Sabres, they had snapped a franchise-record 13 game road losing streak. That was a exactly a week ago.

Now, the Buffalo Sabres will be in Montreal looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since early November.

With just over 30 games to go, playoffs don’t seem to be much of an option for Buffalo. However, with players returning and a few days off, the Sabres are ready to get back to action tonight in Montreal.

The Sabres, currently in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, will be getting at least one player back for Tuesday’s matchup in Montreal. Tyler Ennis is expected to be back in the lineup for the first time since he injured his ankle on December 17th.

Paul Gaustad could also be getting back in the lineup after suffering an upper-body injury in Chicago on January 18th.

The Canadiens come into this game sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Montreal has won two straight games, including a convincing 7-2 victory over the Western Conference leading Detroit Red Wings.

The last time these two teams met each other, the Canadiens took a quick 2-0 lead and looked assured of a victory. The Sabres scored the next two goals, in the third period, and ended up winning the game in a shootout.

The puck will drop at 7:30 pm in the Bell Centre. The game will be broadcast on MSG (television) and WGR 550 (radio).

Goaltenders vs. Opponent
Goaltender	Record	Sv %	GAA	Shutouts
Ryan Miller vs. MTL	20-8-5	.924	2.29	2
Carey Price vs. BUF	8-6-6	.936	1.95	0

Sabres Leading Scorers:
Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Jason Pominville	49	17	30	47
Thomas Vanek	49	19	22	41
Derek Roy	47	9	16	25
Drew Stafford	48	8	15	23
Luke Adam	49	10	10	20

Canadiens Leading Scorers:
Player	GP	G	A	PTS
Erik Cole	49	19	20	39
David Desharnais	49	6	26	35
Max Pacioretty	46	17	18	35
Tomas Plekanec	49	10	23	33
Andrei Kostitsyn	39	11	11	22

Special Teams:
Team	PP	Rank	PK	Rank
Buffalo Sabres	18.1%	14th	81.2%	21st
Montreal Canadiens	12.6%	30th	89.4%	1st