Buffalo Sabres Visit The Big Apple
Buffalo Sabres look to rebound after two straight losses
After closing out the week with two consecutive losses, including a 3-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings, the Buffalo Sabres look to turn things around as they visit the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday evening.
Monday’s game is a nationally-televised tilt, being aired on NBCSN throughout the United States. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
Tonight’s game is the first of three meetings between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers this season. They’ll meet again in just over a month, on March 8th, in Buffalo.
Last time the teams met was way back in March 2015, when the Rangers shutout the Sabres by a score of 2-0.
Overall, the Sabres are 78-60-33 against the Rangers in history.
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A few hot players to watch tonight for the Buffalo Sabres include defenseman Cody Franson, who has four points (1-3) in his last four games against the Rangers.
Evander Kane plays his 400th career NHL game tonight; he leads the Buffalo Sabres in both shots per game (3.9) and hits per game (2.8) and ranked fourth in the league entering Sunday’s games in shots per game.
Ryan O’Reilly has 21 points (7-14) in 22 road games this season and is on a five-game road point streak. He also leads all NHL forwards in average ice time per game.
Mats Zuccarello leads the Rangers with 34 points this season, including a team-high 17 goals.
Rick Nash, meanwhile, has 33 points (12-21), while Derick Brassard has notched 31 points (15-16) in 47 games, including 10 power-play points.
Monday’s game opens the Buffalo Sabres’ eighth set of back-to-back games this season. The Sabres are 2-5-0 in the first game this season.
Though the team has struggled in several areas lately, there’s other areas that shine.
For instance, the Buffalo Sabres have killed 19 consecutive penalties over the course of the last six games.
They’ve also scored three power-play goals in the last three games.
Word has it that Zemgus Girgensons could return for the Buffalo Sabres in Monday’s game.
Girgensons, who’s been less than impressive on the scoresheet this season, has missed the past four games with an upper-body injury.
Josh Gorges and Carlo Colaiacovo will remain out for Monday’s game, while Cal O’Reilly will play, according to Buffalo Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma.
Chad Johnson makes his return to the net after two games off. Johnson’s last appearance was the 2-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes early last week.
Next: Sabres Who Could Be On Trade Block
Following tonight’s game, the Buffalo Sabres head to Ottawa to face the Senators on Tuesday night. The NHL All-Star Break begins Thursday, with the Sabres returning to action on February 3 against the Montreal Canadiens.