Sabres Pregame

The Morning Skate: Enroth back in net against Sens

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The Sabres will ice the same lineup they went with last Saturday in Ottawa as the Senators visit First Niagara Center for the first time this evening.

That includes the man between the pipes. Jhonas Enroth with get his fifth start of the season for the Sabres, his second-straight against the Senators.

It is a good choice by Lindy Ruff as Ryan Miller has a career 13-15-2 record against Ottawa.

The Senators will have their captain back in the lineup as Daniel Alfredsson will play his first game since suffering a concussion against the Rangers.

Buffalo’s special teams has powered the Sabres recently as the penalty kill unit has been bettered by only one team (Pittsburgh) and the power play has enjoyed a strong run despite not registering goals in every contest.

Buffalo enjoyed a shootout win over Ottawa last Saturday, despite yielding the game’s first goal and a tying goal on a poor defensive change in the second period.

The home woes have been halted for the time being as the Sabres have found a bit of mojo after opening their recent home-stand. This game marks the opening of Buffalo’s fourth set of back-to-back games and three games in four nights. All three games are against Northeast Division foes and will serve as an excellent chance for the Sabres to further cement a spot in the East’s top eight.

Highlighted Matchup
Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson vs. the Buffalo defense. The Sabres defense was horrendous against Winnipeg, as was the d-zone coverage. Buffalo allowed Michalek to register an early goal last week before shutting down the top line. Still, the Sabres can expect a tougher night than Tuesday if they’re equally irresponsible in zone.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Jhonas Enroth 5GP, 4-0-0, 1.41 GAA, .952 SV%

OTT: Craig Anderson 14GP, 6-5-1, 3.47 GAA, .886 SV%

Last Game

11/5/2011, Scotiabank Place, Sabres 3 – Senators 2 SO

The Morning Skate: Sabres back to the road in Ottawa

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The Sabres honored the late Rick Martin the last time they met the Senators

The Buffalo Sabres hit their third set of back-to-back games a night after finding some mojo at First Niagara Center with a 2-1 win over Calgary.

Since the season opening games were both neutral site contests, Buffalo has their first chance to sweep a set of back-to-backs after winning the first half at home. Since the Sabres did not skate this morning it is hard to say what lines may change or who the starting goaltender will be.

Expect the lines to remain the same, as Corey Tropp had an efficient night in his NHL debut and Brad Boyes looked right at home on the wing with Paul Gaustad and Nathan Gerbe. Same goes for the defensive pairings as the entire unit was sound against Calgary, yielding only 17 shots through the first 40 minutes last night.

The decision in goal may be difficult for Lindy Ruff. Jhonas Enroth had a very good night against the Flames and made the saves he needed to throughout the game. He wasn’t tested often, but he turned away any of the scoring chances he faced. Ryan Miller deserves a chance to get back on top of his game and tonight would seem to be a scheduled start for him based recent history. Had Enroth pitched a shutout last night I would put him right back in. Despite the only goal being a wacky deflection, you probably go with Miller to continue to show confidence in the team’s superstar.

The Sens are also playing the second half of a back-to-back set, however they had the luxury of sleeping in their own beds last night. Ottawa hosted Montreal on Friday, a 2-1 loss.

While the standings mean very little at this point in the season, tonight’s winner will move ahead of their division rival for the time being. Both teams are part of a four-way tie for fifth in the Eastern Conference. Of note, Kevin Sylvester and Danny Gare will call the game while Brian Duff will serve as the in-game host. It will be interesting to see how the new team does in their first true game working together.

Highlighted Matchup

Michalek-Spezza-Greening vs. Myers-Sekera. Lindy Ruff may choose not to match the Senators big line, but expect either the Myers or Regehr pairing to see plenty of time against Spezza and Michalek. The two forwards have combined for 28 points (14+14) through 14 games. Don’t be surprised if the Gerbe-Gaustad-Boyes line sees time against Ottawa’s top scoring unit too.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Ryan Miller 9GP, 4-5-0, 2.48 GAA, .922 SV%

OTT: Craig Anderson 12GP, 6-4-0, 3.66 GAA, .883 SV%

Last Meeting

3/13/2011, HSBC Arena, Sabres 6 – Senators 4

The Morning Skate: Sabres vs. Flyers

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The Buffalo Sabres have their first chance to exact revenge on the Philadelphia Flyers after their first-round playoff loss last season.

Both teams have significantly different rosters but still have a familiar core that will remember the seven-game epic that dispatched the Sabres and left the Flyers gasping for air before their second-round series. Ville Leino will play against his former team for the first time and Ilya Bryzgalov will give the new Flyers media rules a test after his 5-1 win against Carolina.

The Sabres have had a rough week and a half after busting out of the gates with a 5-1 record. Buffalo is 1-3 over their last four games and it appears that their struggles on home ice have carried over from last season.

Still, they are currently in the Eastern Conference’s top eight and are in a three-way tie with the Flyers and Panthers with 13 points. Of course, it is very early to be discussing the playoff picture.

Both the Sabres and Flyers will be searching to gain some stability with this game. Ryan Miller had a sizzling start that matched his team’s success. After a couple so-so outings, Miller is in need of a bounce back game. The same can be said for Philadelphia’s big money goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. After signing a monster deal in the offseason, Bryzgalov’s numbers aren’t matching those going into his bank account. However, he had a fine showing against the Hurricanes and has had plenty of rest entering this game.

Lindy Ruff made some interesting line changes prior to a grueling work out on Monday. He followed with a special teams specific practice yesterday. The additional preparation time should put Buffalo in good shape for a strong showing tonight. If nothing else they should come out trying to prove a point after getting bagged by their coach.

Highlighted Matchup

Ryan Miller vs. Ilya Bryzgalov. There are going to be plenty of things to watch for tonight, but the showdown between the big money goalies will be intriguing. Despite the fact that a goaltender’s performance is 100% independent from that of his counterpart, the many critics of both will be watching with a keen eye. If one plays with a better edge expect his team to win.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Ryan Miller 8GP, 4-4-0, 2.14 GAA, .930 SV%

PHI: Ilya Bryzgalov 9GP, 4-4-1, 3.16 GAA, .880 SV%

What To Watch For

1. Ville Leino has not only inherited Tim Connolly’s responsibilities, he also inherited his critics. The prized free agent hasn’t found his groove through ten games and multiple line changes. His newest role is centering Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. This will be an all-or-nothing venture for the playmaking Finn. I would expect him to succeed with the team’s two best scoring weapons. Keep an eye on Subway Line 2.0.

2. The sixth defenseman. It would appear that Mike Weber is poised to make his season debut. Who better to play him against than a muck and grind team like Philly? Weber will take the place of Marc-Andre Gragnani, who was replaced by Derek Roy on the top power play unit yesterday. It would be shocking if Weber doesn’t play after than move by Ruff. Gragnani wasn’t contributing as a power play specialist and was awful in his zone, seems like an easy decision.

3. Luke Adam, Derek Roy and Drew Stafford may quickly click or the latter two may continue to struggle. Adam is coming off the Sabres’ top line in hopes of sparking the two veterans. If this shuffle doesn’t prove effective – plus the Leino experiment – the Sabres could be in serious trouble offensively.

2010-11 Season Series BUF 2-2-0

10/26/2010, Wachovia Center, Sabres 3 – Flyers 6

1/11/2011, HSBC Arena, Sabres 2 – Flyers 5

3/5/2011, Wachovia Center, Sabres 5 – Flyers 3

4/8/2011, HSBC Arena, Sabres 4 – 3 OT