GDT: Game 40: Islanders @ Sabres - 12/31 6pm ET (MSG-B, WGR 550)

[Dreakon13]

Game Preview: 12/31/18 vs. NY Islanders

LAST GAME
Saturday, December 29
Boston 3 at Buffalo 2 (OT)
Goals: Scandella, Larsson
Goalie: Hutton (39 saves/42 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 3/4; Shots: Boston 42 – Buffalo 28

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 155)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Scott Wilson (ankle, Oct. 4; injured reserve) – 39 games
Casey Nelson (upper body, Dec. 8; injured reserve) – 10 games
Zemgus Girgensons (upper body, Dec. 29; injured reserve) – 1 game
Linus Ullmark (illness, Dec. 29) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
12/29: Recalled G Scott Wedgewood from Rochester (AHL); Activated F Jason Pominville from IR; Placed F Zemgus Girgensons on IR
12/30: Assigned G Scott Wedgewood to Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, Jan. 3: Florida at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 5: Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 8: New Jersey at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 11: Buffalo at Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 12: Tampa Bay at Buffalo

TONIGHT’S GAME
ISLANDERS at SABRES

• This is the first of three meetings between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated New York 4-3 in Buffalo on Feb. 8
• Next meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 12 in Buffalo
• The Sabres are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Islanders; 5-4-1 at home.
• This is the 149th game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 81-63-24 series record.
• The Sabres are 45-27-12 at home against the Islanders all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 13-13-5 all-time on December 31.
• December 31, 1987: The Sabres trade Paul Cyr and a 10th-round draft pick in 1988 (Eric Fenton) to the New York Rangers for Mike Donnelly and a fifth-round pick in 1988 (Alexander Mogilny).
• December 31, 1993: Alexander Mogilny appears in his 300th NHL game and Dominik Hasek stops 39 of 40 shots as the Sabres defeat the Rangers 4-1 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
• December 31, 1997: Michael Peca scores two shorthanded goals in a 3-0 win over Ottawa. Peca still shares the franchise record for most shorthanded goals scored in one game by a single player with Alexei Zhitnik, Bob Sweeney and Don Luce.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• The Sabres are 12-10-3 all-time in New Year’s Eve home games, including a 1-3-1 record against the Islanders (1982, 1989, 1995, 2002, 2015).
• Ten of Buffalo’s last 12 home games against the Islanders have been decided by a single goal, including five overtime games.
• These teams met three years ago on this date, with the Islanders earning a 2-1 victory in Buffalo. Only seven Sabres who dressed for that game (Bogosian, Eichel, Larsson, McCabe, Reinhart, Ristolainen, Ullmark) are currently on the team’s roster, though Kyle Okposo dressed for New York.
• Buffalo entered play Sunday ranked sixth in the NHL with a penalty kill percentage of 83.5 percent this season and ranked first in the league since the beginning of December with a 91.2 percent success rate.
• Jack Eichel’s 18 multi-point games this season tied him for second-most in the league entering play Sunday and have already matched his single-season high.
• Vladimir Sobotka is expected to appear in his 500th NHL game tonight.

Click to read more...

 

[sabresfan129103]

I'll be there tonight. I'm 3-1 on the season and 3-0 in my new jersey, so I think my presence there alone guarantees a win.

 

[MackAttack26]

This is a MUST win.

 

[Vito_81]

Isles coming in hot.

Tonight needs to be the awakening of the middle six.

 

[Duddy]

Another loss

While dumb and dumber watch on

 

[Aladyyn]

Isles coming in hot.

Tonight needs to be the awakening of the middle six.

We're making a trade???

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Tonight needs to be the awakening of the middle six.

How many times have we all said that? Yet no roster moves. Just shuffling of the deck.

 

[rbochan]

Perhaps they can sneak Okposo onto the Iles' bus and ship his ass back there.

 

[DolanPlsGoSabres]

CJ Smith is up!

 

[MackAttack26]

Wonder where Smith is...

Pressbox?

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

How many times have we all said that? Yet no roster moves. Just shuffling of the deck.

15 minutes later. .

.

 

[SabresFan26]

Does Pilut draw back in? Wonder who CJ replaces?

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Does Pilut draw back in? Wonder who CJ replaces?

Wedgewood who was only here briefly when Ullmark was out.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Excited to see Smith's debut. Should provide a much-needed boost to the middle 6 -- he's gonna keep his legs moving and funnel pucks toward the net.

We need a W here.

 

[Beerz]

About time.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Game Preview: Islanders at Sabres

 

[oldgoalie]

Lehner's gonna be trouble tonight.

 

[Zip15]

Lehner's gonna be trouble tonight.

I do wonder if they'll play him. He relieved Greiss midway thru Friday's game in Ottawa, and then played again on Saturday night in Toronto. This would effectively be his third game in four nights, and teams rarely do that with a goaltender. Then again, he's white hot and I'm sure he wants in for this game.

 

[nickdawg95]

I'll be there tonight. I'm 3-1 on the season and 3-0 in my new jersey, so I think my presence there alone guarantees a win.

Thank you for your service

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[sabresfan129103]

Eichel is a game time decision? We're completely f***ed if he is out.

 

[Gabrielor]

Gotta have this win

 

[DolanPlsGoSabres]

Pilut scratched again!?

 

[Chainshot]

Lehner's gonna be trouble tonight.

My thought as well. His record against the Sens is 7-0-3 with a quality S% and GAA. He gets dialed in to play his previous teams, this will likely be no different. So glad so much of the Sabres lineup is on fire right now.

Wait. They are literally on fire? In that dumpster over there? The one filled with tires? Oh. Well then...

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different results. We have garbage second and third lines. The D is for sure better. Why is no one up from Amerks?