GDT: #18 – Sabres at Wild – Thu Nov 13, 8:00PM ET – MSG-B, BELL TV – WBEN

[Woodhouse]

BUF (3-12-2) at MIN (7-7-0) – THU NOV 13, 8:00PM ET – MSG-B, BELL TV – WBEN – CHAT

Gameday Headlines

Game Preview: 11/13/14 at MIN – Ian Ott, Sabres PR

Wild, Sabres try to end slumps – NHL.com

Sabres-Wild Preview – STATS Writer, AP

One year in, Nolan relishes role in Sabres’ rebuilding – Mike Harrington, TBN

Sabres notebook: Kaleta ready to hit the ice – Mike Harrington, TBN

Kaleta, Benoit in against Wild – Chris Ryndak, Sabres.com

Previous Headlines

Wild's woes continue in loss to New Jersey – Micheal Russo, Star Tribune

Wild searching for somebody to step up – Micheal Russo, Star Tribune

Blues top Sabres in blowout, 6-1 – Mike Harrington, TBN

Sabres lose to Blues but don't back down – Chris Ryndak, Sabres.com

Kaleta set to return Thursday – Chris Ryndak, Sabres.com​

BUFFALO SABRES

Projected Lineup

26 Matt Moulson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 63 Tyler Ennis
65 Brian Flynn – 17 Torrey Mitchell – 12 Brian Gionta
80 Chris Stewart – 19 Cody Hodgson – 21 Drew Stafford
44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 8 Cody McCormick – 36 Patrick Kaleta
x: 82 Marcus Foligno

61 Andre Benoit – 57 Tyler Myers
51 Nikita Zadorov – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
6 Mike Weber – 24 Tyson Strachan
x: 4 Josh Gorges, 41 Andrej Meszaros

1 Jhonas Enroth
34 Michal Neuvirth

Lineup News & Notes

Matt Hackett (knee) remains out, as does Josh Gorges (LBI), but Patrick Kaleta (face) will make his
season debut tonight.

According to the Stats

Chris Stewart leads all Sabres with 12 points (7+5) in 22 career games against the Wild.​

MINNESOTA WILD

Projected Lineup

16 Jason Zucker – 9 Mikko Koivu – 29 Jason Pominville
22 Nino Niederreiter – 64 Mikael Granlund – 3 Charlie Coyle
26 Thomas Vanek – 56 Erik Haula – 10 Jordan Schroeder
18 Ryan Carter – 21 Kyle Brodziak – 14 Justin Fontaine
x:

20 Ryan Suter – 46 Jared Spurgeon
39 Nate Prosser – 5 Christian Folin
2 Keith Ballard – 55 Matt Dumba
x: 4 Stu Bickel, 6 Marco Scandella, 25 Jonas Brodin

35 Darcy Kuemper
32 Niklas Backstrom

Lineup News & Notes

Matt Cooke (LBI), Josh Harding (foot), and Zach Parise (concussion) remain on their injury list, while
Jared Spurgeon (shoulder) returns tonight. Marco Scandella and Jonas Brodin are also out ill.

According to the Stats

Parise, Minnesota's leading scorer, has missed the past three games and the Wild have scored a total
of two goals in that span, losing all three.​

NHL VIDEOCENTER

Buffalo Sabres (for the latest videos, visit what's new)

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Minnesota Wild (for the latest videos, visit what's new)

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Click to read more...

 

[Ralonzo]

Also known as the "PIP Game," thanks to Thursday Night Football.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

Also known as the "PIP Game," thanks to Thursday Night Football.

Probably a safe bet that more people will being watching the Bills than the Sabres.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

Probably a safe bet that more people will being watching the Bills than the Sabres.

Hell, even the Wild will be watching the football game since the outcome of the hockey game will be well decided before the 8:30 Bills/Dolphins start.

Also, will there be a Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick, and Torrey Mitchell tribute video???

 

[Zman5778]

Hell, even the Wild will be watching the football game since the outcome of the hockey game will be well decided before the 8:30 Bills/Dolphins start.

Also, will there be a Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick, and Torrey Mitchell tribute video???

Can't forget about Matt Hackett too! He needs one!


And I likely won't watch a second of this.......will have all my attention on the Bills.

 

[cybresabre]

I have such a hard time watching football live.

 

[tsujimoto74]

******* that line-up is ugly.

 

[VaporTrail]

Tyson Strachan is tied for 5th in the team lead for scoring (3 pts)...Wow, just wow...lol.

 

[mgeise]

My god, Benoit-Myers

 

[mgeise]

Any guesses on who sits with Kaleta back in the lineup? Maybe Deslauriers?

 

[Myllz]

Vanek with 4 goals, Pominville with 8 points.

 

[mikemcburn]

Any guesses on who sits with Kaleta back in the lineup? Maybe Deslauriers?

Hodgson is my guess. Once Nolan decides a thing, it's a thing. And he's decided Hodgson is doghouse material. Better to have traded him first.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Tyson Strachan is tied for 5th in the team lead for scoring (3 pts)...Wow, just wow...lol.

No surprise. Tyson Strachan has incredible offensive instincts, slick skating, and silky smooth hands. There's a reason he's played in the AHL for a majority of his career because he's one talented mofo.

 

[Savitar]

Fair to say Zadorov will get top 4 minutes

 

[VaporTrail]

Hell, even the Wild will be watching the football game since the outcome of the hockey game will be well decided before the 8:30 Bills/Dolphins start.

Also, will there be a Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick, and Torrey Mitchell tribute video???

One would think so....

If no tribute video I fully expect to see fires in the streets, along with rioting and looting....

 

[26CornerBlitz]

FYI, the game will actually be on WBEN because the Bills are playing on Thursday Night Football: http://v6.player.abacast.net/2111

@BuffaloSabres

Our next game is Thurs. at @mnwild. 8pm ET start on MSG / Bell. Due to @buffalobills playing at the same time, radio will be @newsradio930.

 

[jBuds]

Hodgson is my guess. Once Nolan decides a thing, it's a thing. And he's decided Hodgson is doghouse material. Better to have traded him first.

Hodgson belongs in the Doghouse. His uninspired play drives even ****** coaches mad, and rightfully so.

He has been nowhere to be found the last 100gp here.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

Any guesses on who sits with Kaleta back in the lineup? Maybe Deslauriers?

That's my guess, if only because of his stupid spearing penalty on Tarasenko the other night. Not to mention it was called a match penalty, so Des is automatically suspended until Bettman reviews the issue:

In addition to the match penalty, the player shall be automatically suspended from further competition until the Commissioner has ruled on the issue. See also Rule 29 – Supplementary Discipline.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26304

 

[Wisent42]

Moulson and Vanek are tied in goalscoring. That means that when we traded Vanek to Islanders we got an equal goalscorer in return, plus a first and a second. How about that?

 

[mikemcburn]

Hodgson belongs in the Doghouse. His uninspired play drives even ****** coaches mad, and rightfully so.

He has been nowhere to be found the last 100gp here.

Totally disagree, mostly with the extreme. But then I'm a half-full type, so tend to see the positives even while face palming the negatives.

I almost wonder what type of player he'd be today if he'd have been a 3c/2c after the trade and supported to develop the two-way game he was projected to have. But any which way, as it is his playing style doesn't fit the current roster, will prob be 2-3 years before he's a complimentary piece, so possibly better to trade him off rather than destroy confidence in the game he does have - while concurrently driving the coach (and fans alike) crazy

 

[cybresabre]

Moulson and Vanek are tied in goalscoring. That means that when we traded Vanek to Islanders we got an equal goalscorer in return, plus a first and a second. How about that?

What we lost in grimaces we gained in eyebrows.

 

[TehDoak]

I find it funny that people are calling out Hodgson when nearly all the veterans on this team have packed it in already.

Hodgson is what he is.....a secondary scorer. Put him with decent talent in a good system, he'll produce. Put him with rotating line mates on in a poorly coached team with no real system in place....he's going to struggle.

It's across the board offensive struggles. Its not like we have a bunch of guys who are producing on their expected pace and one guy who is struggling.

 

[Woodhouse]

Michael Russo @Russostrib 8m
Brodin and Scandella both ill, similar gland swelling to Ballard and Folin earlier this year; Ballard had the mumps #mnwild

Minnesota Wild @mnwild 8m
Yeo says Scandella and Brodin are ill and will not play. #mnwild

 

[mikemcburn]

I find it funny that people are calling out Hodgson when nearly all the veterans on this team have packed it in already.

Hodgson is what he is.....a secondary scorer. Put him with decent talent in a good system, he'll produce. Put him with rotating line mates on in a poorly coached team with no real system in place....he's going to struggle.

It's across the board offensive struggles. Its not like we have a bunch of guys who are producing on their expected pace and one guy who is struggling.

Yep. And same goes to the defensive struggles - across the board pathetic.

Plus/Minus, only Zads is an even, everyone else is a neg, with Ennis, Stafford and Stewart leading the way to the depths among forwards. Advanced stats (corsi, etc.) Hodgson's numbers are near the top, and certainly better than Moulson, Stafford, Ennis, Stewart, etc.

It's the "near the top" that's the problem - the top isn't exactly a high bar to reach on this team, lol. And it's not like Hodgson is genuinely "better", it's just that any guy on this roster who is getting ice-time is gonna have the numbers go against. The sucking is team wide.

 

[stokes84]

I find it funny that people are calling out Hodgson when nearly all the veterans on this team have packed it in already.

Hodgson is what he is.....a secondary scorer. Put him with decent talent in a good system, he'll produce. Put him with rotating line mates on in a poorly coached team with no real system in place....he's going to struggle.

It's across the board offensive struggles. Its not like we have a bunch of guys who are producing on their expected pace and one guy who is struggling.

He was our leading scorer last year, is youngish, and is signed long term. He has two points this year and if he isn't scoring, he not only brings nothing, what he does bring is negative. It's not hard to figure out why he gets killed around here. A non-scoring Hodgson is about as bad as it gets.