The Buffalo Sabres are going to be looking to continue the momentum and their win streak they had going into the Christmas break. After an exciting 3-2 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, they will be back home to play the Boston Bruins as they go for win number eight.
This is a game of two teams heading in opposite directions as the Bruins have lost four straight but still remain one point ahead of the Sabres in the standings. It will also be the third meeting this season between the two teams as the Bruins won the first two but both were in October at a time that the Sabres were really struggling.
When looking ahead to this game, if the Sabres hope to extend their win streak these are three things they must do against the Bruins.
Buffalo Sabres need to build an early lead
One common theme during this win streak has been that the Sabres have been able to build an early lead in almost every game. They were the team to score first in six of their seven wins, with the game against the New Jersey Devils being the only one in which they didn't score first.
However, that would be the last goal the Devils would score as the Sabres scored twice in the second and then one in the third.
In the two meetings the Sabres had with the Bruins earlier this season, in both games the Bruins would build a 2-0 lead before Buffalo was able to get on the board. This is not a team that does well from playing from behind, and when they are able to at least score first, they have been much more successful.
The question is how much the Christmas break will impact this, and whether they will come out slowly after being off for a few days. It will be tough if they do that against a Bruins team that is desperate and wants to end their losing streak as much as the Sabres want to extend their win streak.
Win with their penalty kill
One interesting matchup in this game is the Boston Bruins' power play against the Buffalo Sabres penalty kill. So far this season, the Sabres are second in the league in penalty kill at 84.5% and less than a percentage point behind the Colorado Avalanche.
The Sabres have been a good penalty kill team almost all season, and this is something they will need to continue as they work their way back up the standings. Meanwhile, the Bruins are one of the better power play teams this season as they rank seventh in the league in power play percentage at 25.4%, but tied for fourth in power play goals with 29.
There is no question that this is something the Bruins could take advantage of if the Sabres' power play kill is not performing, and keep this game close. The best thing the Sabres can do, though, is avoid penalties to not give Boston the man advantage, but the Sabres did have nine penalties combined in their two meetings earlier this season.
Josh Norris needs to be the difference maker
Josh Norris has been excellent during the Buffalo Sabres win streak and is a big reason for their success. He has played in five of those games with three points (two goals and one assist) and a +/- of +4.
The Sabres center has been out most of the season after suffering an injury in the first game of the season against the New York Rangers. He would miss both of the meetings in October against the Boston Bruins, but he should give the Sabres a boost this weekend.
A strong performance by Norris might be just enough for the Sabres to separate themselves from the Bruins and help them secure their first win of the season against Boston while extending that win streak to eight.