The Buffalo Sabres are set to take on the St. Louis Blues tonight and will look to extend to their most recent win to a back to back win and with a win they will move closer to the Edmonton Oilers sitting in 29th place.
Puck Prose
The Buffalo Sabres broke a 14 game losing streak with a solid performance against the Montreal Canadiens the other night, winning 3-2. The St. Louis Blues are on tap for them tonight in what will be the start of a handful of game at home to open the month of February.
Steve Ott will be making his first debut back to Buffalo, since he was traded last year to the Blues in an end of the deadline trade which also included Ryan Miller.
Here is what NHL.com is saying about the match-up tonight.
"The Sabres won for the first time since Dec. 27 when they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Tuesday to close out a five-game trip. The win for Buffalo ended a 14-game losing streak, which was one loss shy of tying the third-longest in NHL history set by the 1930-31 Philadelphia Quakers. “We’ve got a lot of proud guys in this room, guys that had been on good teams, and it’s one of those things that no one wants to be a part of and it’s nice that we were able to get that one behind us,” said captain Brian Gionta, who scored the eventual game-winner late in the first period. Goalie Jhonas Enroth made 34 saves. During their 14-game losing streak, the Sabres were outscored 61-21. The Sabres have lost five in a row on home ice and have not won in regulation at home since Dec. 11 (nine games). The game against the Blues opens a five-game homestand.– NHL.com"
Key Stats
Buffalo Sabres
- Through 51 games, the Sabres 15-33-3 with 33 points.
- They are averaging 1.78 goals per game and allowing 3.53 goals per game.
- They are being out shot 35.0 to 22.8 on average every game.
- They have a PP% of 11.4 and a PK% of 74.0
St. Louis Blues
- The Blues are sitting with a 33-13-4 record with 70 points.
- They are averaging 3.12 goals per game and allowing 2.38 goals per game.
- They are out shooting their opponents 31.3 to 27.6 on average each game.
- The have a PP% of 24.3 and a PK% of 80.6.
Game Predicitons
I would normally chalk this one up as a loss for the Buffalo Sabres, especially with how they performed last time these two teams met, with a 6-1 loss. They St. Louis Blues are one of the top teams in the league and by all accounts it shows. I think tonight, though, it may be a bit different. I have a feeling that the Buffalo Sabres pull a win off tonight to start their home stand.
The Buffalo Sabres win in a shoot out tonight 4-3.