GDT: Game 46: Sabres vs Oilers - 1/14 9pm ET (MSG-B, WGR 550)

[Dreakon13]

Game Preview: 1/14/19 at Edmonton

LAST GAME
Saturday, January 12
Tampa Bay 5 at Buffalo 3
Goals: Reinhart, Thompson, Scandella
Goalie: Ullmark (25 saves/30 shots)
PP: 0/4; PK: 0/1; Shots: Buffalo 33 – Tampa Bay 30

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 170)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Casey Nelson (upper body, Dec. 8; injured reserve) – 16 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
1/8: Activated F Zemgus Girgensons from IR; Placed F Jack Eichel on IR; Placed F Scott Wilson on waivers
1/9: Assigned F Scott Wilson to Rochester (AHL)
1/11: Activated F Jack Eichel from IR; Assigned F C.J. Smith to Rochester (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, Jan. 16: Buffalo at Calgary, 9:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 18: Buffalo at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 29: Buffalo at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 30: Buffalo at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 1: Chicago at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at OILERS

• This is the first of two meetings between the Sabres and Oilers this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Edmonton 5-0 in Edmonton on Jan. 23, 2018
• The Sabres are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Oilers; 6-3-1 on the road.
• This is the 76th game all-time between Buffalo and Edmonton; Buffalo has a 26-38-11 series record.
• The Sabres are 11-23-3 on the road against the Oilers all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 8-9-3 all-time on January 14.
• January 14, 1972: The Sabres acquire Jim Lorentz from the New York Rangers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 1972 draft.
• January 14, 2003: Ryan Miller stops all 22 Minnesota shots to earn a 1-0 victory and his first career shutout.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• After losing all four games against the Oilers in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, the Sabres have swept the four games between the teams in the last two seasons.
• With a win tonight, the Sabres will have defeated the Oilers in five straight meetings for the first time since Buffalo won each of the six matchups between the teams from Jan. 16, 2006 to Jan. 3, 2012.
• Sam Reinhart has already set career-high totals in assists (32) and multi-point games (13) this season. The Sabres are 17-7-4 this season when he records at least one point and 28-4-6 (.816) in his career when he records at least two.

Click to read more...

 

[Gabrielor]

Need this one.

I should just copy/paste the above for the last of the year.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Looking forward to the inevitable Sobotka/Scandella "shutdown" matchup against McDavid.

 

[Beerz]

Looking forward to the inevitable Sobotka/Scandella "shutdown" matchup against McDavid.

I'd laugh but I'm too busy crying.

 

[sabresfan129103]

Like I said in the GBU after last game: I have zero confidence in this team right now. I'm expecting another loss.

 

[MackAttack26]

Need to get at least 4 points out of the 3 game Western swing before the break.

Hoping they could manage that seeing as they face 2 bad teams but not optimistic.

 

[sufferer]

#FreeCJ

 

[old kummelweck]

this one is past my bedtime.

 

[Fezzy126]

McDavid is fighting the flu, if ever there was a time for us to get back on track, this is it...

 

[tsujimoto74]

We need to start picking up more points. Let's go Buffalo!

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

I still don't really understand the lack of faith fans have in this team. we are still in the thick of things and we just need to put together a tidy little run (doesn't have to be ten games) and we are back in the thick of it. we're two wins out of third in the division and three out of second (no way we catch TB). If anything, now is the time to stay luke warm and then get hot right at the close of the regular season into the playoffs.

 

[Jim Bob]

I still don't really understand the lack of faith fans have in this team. we are still in the thick of things and we just need to put together a tidy little run (doesn't have to be ten games) and we are back in the thick of it. we're two wins out of third in the division and three out of second (no way we catch TB). If anything, now is the time to stay luke warm and then get hot right at the close of the regular season into the playoffs.

Seriously though, this team has finished DFL 3 of the last 5 seasons and have slipped out of a playoff spot after a long stretch of poor play after the 10 game winning streak.

Add in the Berglund situation, Housley making lineup moves that don't really make a lot of sense, and Botterill not bringing in any outside help as of yet and rumors that he isn't looking to make any big rental moves, and I can see why people would lack faith in this team making the playoffs at this point in time.

 

[kirby11]

I still don't really understand the lack of faith fans have in this team. we are still in the thick of things and we just need to put together a tidy little run (doesn't have to be ten games) and we are back in the thick of it. we're two wins out of third in the division and three out of second (no way we catch TB). If anything, now is the time to stay luke warm and then get hot right at the close of the regular season into the playoffs.

They need to improve a good deal just to get to lukewarm. Since reaching 1st place in the league, we're something like 6-10-4, IIRC, and we're playing in a stacked division/conference. Not to mention, I'm betting Jack will still be rusty for another 2-3 games, so we'll probably need Skinner/Reino to play out of their minds while getting elite goaltending on a nightly basis to get some Ws.

 

[Reddawg]

I think tonight will be the start of a really good run for us. The Western road trip sparked the team last time, no reason it can't happen again. Should be a good game and I'm expecting a win...the last two games have been fluky as hell and it's good to have that out of our system.

Just win.

 

[Zip15]

Haven't we pounded Edmonton each time we've played them in their new arena? I think we'll win this one, too.

I still don't really understand the lack of faith fans have in this team. we are still in the thick of things and we just need to put together a tidy little run (doesn't have to be ten games) and we are back in the thick of it. we're two wins out of third in the division and three out of second (no way we catch TB). If anything, now is the time to stay luke warm and then get hot right at the close of the regular season into the playoffs.

16 points in the 20 games (about a 65-point pace) since the streak will do that to people. I think many also lack faith in the coach maximizing the lineup, and are disheartened by the GM/coach insisting on keeping plugs on the roster/in the lineup (Elie, Hunwick, Sobotka, Poms, et al.) over players who should be on the big roster (Smith, in particular).

 

[GrierIsGod123]

I still don't really understand the lack of faith fans have in this team. we are still in the thick of things and we just need to put together a tidy little run (doesn't have to be ten games) and we are back in the thick of it. we're two wins out of third in the division and three out of second (no way we catch TB). If anything, now is the time to stay luke warm and then get hot right at the close of the regular season into the playoffs.

I applaud your positive outlook, I really do. I just can't watch this team right now, and see that they're going to come out of this. I think they are what they are, and that is a .500 team that got lucky for a while.

I'm sure we'll have another stretch where some things go our way. But I truly think we're being held back by poor coaching/lineup decisions, that will be the difference between us and the teams we're fighting with. I think we have enough good players here to win, especially on defense.

 

[GellMann]

I still don't really understand the lack of faith fans have in this team. we are still in the thick of things and we just need to put together a tidy little run (doesn't have to be ten games) and we are back in the thick of it. we're two wins out of third in the division and three out of second (no way we catch TB). If anything, now is the time to stay luke warm and then get hot right at the close of the regular season into the playoffs.

The most pessimistic of us at the end of the streak would have imagined it taking until at least Valentine's day to fall out of a playoff spot if we were to get cold. It really is astounding how fast we managed to do it. 6 wins in 20 games is the pace we had last season, one of our three last place finishes in the last five years. There's really no reason for Sabres fans to feel good about the state of the team until they are actively watching the Buffalo Sabres in the playoffs, as there's been enough waiting and future-watching to last a lifetime.

 

[Royal Thunder]

Like I said in the GBU after last game: I have zero confidence in this team right now. I'm expecting another loss.

I feel like we played excellent vs NJ and Tampa, and in Carolina it was pretty even despite their numerous lucky goals. For the most part I think we have played well lately, but this team seriously needs to learn how to hold a lead.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

They're ups and downs in a season, folks. This was a orderline WC team if everything went right this year. Lots has gone right and we are in there. Not sure what people want. Crazy deadline deals so we can be knocked out in five in first round?

 

[Reddawg]

They're ups and downs in a season, folks. This was a orderline WC team if everything went right this year. Lots has gone right and we are in there. Not sure what people want. Crazy deadline deals so we can be knocked out in five in first round?

I want to get into the playoffs without dealing away any of our first round picks over the next two years. And there's no reason why that can't happen. The team is playing better than the record shows, we can make small adjustments and promotions and accomplish the mission for 2019 without going full-blown Tim Murray about it and getting silly.

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

Boy, i don't think i have ever regretted a post more than my last one
All of you made good points that certainly are cause for concern and trepidation moving forward. I don't begrudge any fan of having strong negative opinions or concerns considering what this team has done over the past 5+ years.
It can be a struggle not to get whiplash on this board sometimes. If we string a few more wins together (hypothetical here) a lot of posters are going to be doing a quick 180 and it can be dizzying.

We tend to play well against Edmonton and I am hoping tonight can be the start of a turn around. The only game i have some doubts with is the Calgary game.

 

[RecycledEichel]

Expecting a win. I think the Sabres know that this losing streak has to end immediately and that they will put everything they've got into this one.

 

[ZZamboni]

I would like to see Lucic get [insert your own colorful adjective]

4-3 Sabres

 

[kirby11]

Haven't we pounded Edmonton each time we've played them in their new arena? I think we'll win this one, too.



16 points in the 20 games (about a 65-point pace) since the streak will do that to people. I think many also lack faith in the coach maximizing the lineup, and are disheartened by the GM/coach insisting on keeping plugs on the roster/in the lineup (Elie, Hunwick, Sobotka, Poms, et al.) over players who should be on the big roster (Smith, in particular).

It's super great that the season is over halfway done and we still have absolutely no idea how VO or Nylander would perform against NHL competition because we need to keep the severely underperforming vets happy