Tonight's Officials
Referees Brian Pochmara (16), Brad Meier (34)
Linesmen Tim Nowak (77), Steve Barton (59)
Ntl. Anthem Todd Angilly
TONIGHT’S GAME - The Bruins host the Sabres tonight in the 4th & final game between these teams this season and the 2nd of 2 at TD Garden … The Bruins are 23-14-4 this season and are 14-5-0 on home ice … They are 10-6-1 vs. Atlantic Division opponents and are 14-10-1 vs. Eastern Conference foes. - The Bruins play game 2 of a 4-game home stand tonight (1-0-0), as they will host MIN on 1/8 & WSH on 1/10 before playing in TOR on 1/12 … In all, they will play 9 of their 12 January games on home ice.
MILESTONES APPROACHING - Zdeno Chara is 2 goals shy of his 200th NHL goal … He will become just the 21st defenseman in NHL history to reach that milestone. - Tuukka Rask is 5 wins short of his 253rd Bruins/NHL win, which will be the most by a goaltender in team history (Cecil “Tiny” Thompson, 252).
INJURIES / SUSPENSION (Total man-games lost in 2018-19: 152)
Charlie McAvoy: Lower body, day-to-day
Joakim Nordstrom: Non-displaced fibula fracture suffered 1/1 vs CHI
BOSTON vs BUFFALO, LIFETIME SERIES - The Bruins and Sabres are meeting for the 293rd time in their histories with the Bruins having a 138-113-29-12 record and 938-921 scoring edge in those games. - The Bruins are 79-46-14-5 lifetime vs. the Sabres in Boston with a 512-422 scoring advantage in those 144 contests. - The Bruins are 10-3-1 in their last 14 games vs. the Sabres, including a 4-0 win in Buffalo on 10/4, a 4-2 loss in Boston on 12/16 & a 3-2 OT win in Buffalo on 12/29 in the 1st 3 games of this season’s series, & they are 15-4-3 in their last 22 games overall vs. Buffalo … … They are 6-3-3 in their last 12 home games vs. the Sabres. - Fun Fact: The Bruins have gone to more shootouts (13) vs. the Sabres than any other opponent.
WAYBACK MACHINE
The Buffalo Sabres have relied heavily on their top line this season. The trio of Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner and Sam Reinhart has combined for 52 of the team's 116 goals. Even without Eichel, the team's leading scorer who was scratched with an upper-body injury Thursday, the Sabres snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory against Florida. Skinner scored twice, including his team-leading 28th goal. Reinhart had a goal and an assist. Goaltender Linus Ullmark made 35 saves.
"This is contribution by committee," Sabres coach Phil Housley said afterward. "I thought everybody played a very strong game within the minutes that they got." Housley said the Sabres will be without Eichel again Saturday when they play at the Boston Bruins.
"It's a day-to-day situation, which is really encouraging," Housley told NHL.com. "But we want to be cautious with it as well. There's a lot of hockey to be played."
The Sabres are 5-7-4 since their franchise record-tying 10-game winning streak.
"I don't think we're a fragile group, though," Skinner said told NHL.com. "Obviously we haven't gotten the results the past little while that we'd like, but it's a tough league. You're going to go through those stretches. You have to stick to your game, take out the positives in them and build off them."
The Sabres (22-13-6) and Bruins (23-14-4) each have 50 points in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins have won three in a row, including a 4-2 victory over Chicago in the Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium on New Year's Day and a 6-4 victory at home Thursday against the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames, in which Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand each scored twice.
Marchand has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in his past 12 games.
The Bruins have reached the midpoint of their season and are on pace for 100 points despite having suffered numerous injuries. Boston played for more a month without defenseman Zdeno Chara and forward Patrice Bergeron, and defenseman Charlie McAvoy has appeared in only 17 games because of two different injuries.
"Well, I feel good about it, to be honest with you," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told NHL.com. "I mean, right now we're halfway through the year -- Game 41 -- and we're at 50 points. ... We'd like to think we'll get better, simply because a lot of the guys that were out that are key contributors are now healthy, and the only one left is Charlie."
The Bruins will now be without forward Joakim Nordstrom, who suffered a non-displaced fibula fracture after blocking a shot in the Winter Classic. Nordstrom is expected to miss at least three weeks.
"We had a lot of injuries early on," Marchand told NHL.com. "It's tough to really get a good look at your group when so many guys are out consistently, but the last little bit we've had a majority of the guys back in the lineup, and I think we're starting to feel a little good about our game."
