Will Lightning Strike Twice?
The Sabres return home tonight to begin a five game homestand, starting with a Tampa Bay team that just handed Buffalo a 3-0 shutout. Despite the loss, the Sabres took six out of a possible eight points on the four game road trip.
Along with the shutout, Thomas Vanek’s six game point streak came to a halt, but he will look to start a new one tonight. In 25 games against the Lightning, Vanek has scored 22 goals and 29 points.
Buffalo bring in a 5-2 record, but have played just one game at the First Niagara Center.
Tyler Ennis suffered a high ankle sprain and is considered “week-to-week”. Jochen Hecht will likely be able to play by the end of this week. Stepping in and earning a call from Rochester is forward Matt Ellis.
Jhonas Enroth is also likely to get a start either tonight or on Thursday against Columbus.
Lightning head coach Guy Boucher has yet to confirm whom he will go with in net tonight. Mathieu Garon is coming off a shutout and has been putting him solid numbers this season, while expected starter Dwayne Roloson has struggled out of the gate.
The Sabres come into this game trailing first-place Toronto by one point, but have a game in hand. The Maple Leafs were doubled up, 4-2, by Philadelphia on Monday.
How many games will the Sabres win on their 5 game homestand?
- 4 (59%, 16 Votes)
- 3 (30%, 8 Votes)
- 5 (11%, 3 Votes)
- 0 (0%, 0 Votes)
- 1 (0%, 0 Votes)
- 2 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 27
| Goaltenders: | ||||||
| Goaltender | Record | Sv % | GAA | Shutouts | ||
| Ryan Miller vs. TB | 17-5 | .908 | 2.71 | 0 | ||
| Jhonas Enroth vs. TB | 1-0 | .920 | 2.00 | 0 | ||
| Dwayne Roloson vs. BUF | 0-7-1-1 | .844 | 4.05 | 0 | ||
| Mathieu Garon vs. BUF | 2-7 | .889 | 3.14 | 1 | ||
| Sabres Leading Scorers: | ||||||
| Player | GP | G | A | P | ||
| Thomas Vanek | 7 | 6 | 4 | 10 | ||
| Jason Pominville | 7 | 2 | 7 | 9 | ||
| Luke Adam | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Lightning Leading Scorers: | ||||||
| Player | GP | G | A | P | ||
| Marc-Andre Bergeron | 8 | 2 | 7 | 9 | ||
| Martin St. Louis | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | ||
| Teddy Purcell | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||
| Special Teams: | ||||||
| Team | Power Play | NHL Rank | Penalty Kill | NHL Rank | ||
| Buffalo Sabres | 18% | 11th | 91% | 4th | ||
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 15% | 19th | 83% | 18th | ||
| Last 5 Meetings: | ||||||
| Date | Matchup | Result | ||||
| October 22nd, 2011 | Tampa Bay 3, Buffalo 0 | Loss | ||||
| April 5th, 2011 | Buffalo 4, Tampa Bay 2 | Win | ||||
| February 8th, 2011 | Buffalo 7, Tampa Bay 4 | Win | ||||
| December 18th, 2010 | Tampa Bay 3, Buffalo 1 | Loss | ||||
| November 20th, 2010 | Tampa Bay 2, Buffalo 1 | Loss | ||||





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