Buffalo Sabres Return To Action Following All-Star Break

The Buffalo Sabres return to NHL action on Wednesday night as they visit the struggling Montreal Canadiens for a 7 p.m. faceoff.

All NHL teams have been on the All-Star Break, with the Sabres returning to action tonight for their first game since last Tuesday: a 3-2 win over Ottawa.

The Canadiens returned to action Tuesday night, falling 4-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers. Overall, the Habs have lost three straight and have won just three of their last 12 games dating back to January 1.

The Buffalo Sabres are still dealing with several injuries on their roster, though some players do appear ready to return.

Josh Gorges, who’s missed the last three games with an upper-body injury, should return Wednesday night; so should Nicolas Deslauriers, who’s been out 11 games with a lower-body injury.

Sam Reinhart has missed the last three games and is probable to play this evening.

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Meanwhile, Buffalo Sabres Tyler Ennis remains out, having missed the last 13 games. Coach Dan Bylsma said his return to the ice is “not imminent.”

Prior to the NHL All-Star Break, the Buffalo Sabres reassigned Cal O’Reilly, Tim Schaller and Philip Varone to the Rochester Americans.

Tonight’s game is the second of five meetings between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens this season.

The Buffalo Sabres will look to avenge the dreadful 7-2 loss they suffered at the hands of the Habs on October 23. Overall, Buffalo is 3-6-1 in the last 10 games against Montreal.

A few players to watch tonight for the Buffalo Sabres: Matt Moulson and Ryan O’Reilly.

Moulson has put up 13 points (10-3) in his last 14 games against the Habs, dating back to the start of the 2011-12 season. He’s certainly been dangerous against Montreal and is an offensive power they’ll need to stifle.

O’Reilly, meanwhile, has seven points (4-3) in eight career games against the Canadiens. He overall leads the team with 40 points, while Jack Eichel has 34 and Rasmus Ristolainen has 31.

For the Habs, it’s Mr. Personality, P.K. Subban, leading the team with 37 points, while captain Max Pacioretty is not far behind, with 36. Tomas Plekanec has 34 points on the year.

Here’s an interesting comparison: the Sabres and Habs met exactly a year ago. At that time, their records in the last ten games were: 0-10-0 (BUF), 6-3-1 (MTL).

Today? The Sabres are 5-5-0 in their last ten, while the Habs are 2-7-1.

Of course, tonight’s game will see several former teammates face their respective former teams.

Former Buffalo Sabres Brian Flynn and Torrey Mitchell are now on Montreal, while former Habs Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges are now with the Sabres.

Tonight’s game should be an interesting one. Though the Habs absolutely dominated Buffalo in their last meeting, a lot’s changed since then, and Montreal isn’t quite so much of a powerhouse nowadays.

And that’s not even to mention that their main netminder, Carey Price, remains out, with no timeline for a return yet.

Mike Condon and Ben Scrivens are currently tending goal for the Habs, with their counterparts Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson on the Buffalo side.

As of 10 a.m., there were no indications to which goaltenders would be starting on Wednesday night.

Next: Buffalo Sabres February Schedule Breakdown

Following tonight’s game, the Sabres host the Bruins on Thursday before visiting Boston on Saturday.