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Your Buffalo Sabres will roll into sunny Florida this Tuesday night to take on the EC Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sabres will look to continue their winning ways, going 3-1 and 4-2 recently. The team should be locked, stocked, and ready to go as they ride the high of a thrilling 3-2 win in which Rasmus scored in the final 16.8 to knock of a familiar face in Ryan Miller and Linus Ullmark made his presence known to the league, stopping 35/37 Vancouver shots, many of which were of very high quality. The youngsters are doing their part for Buffalo, as Eichel got his first 2 assists, Pysks made a b-e-a-utiful feed for the McGinn goal, and McCabe has seen his minutes climb from 13 minutes/game to 20 minute/game over the last few contests. The Lightning meanwhile, look to continue pulling themselves out of an early season funk. Coming off of another loss in which the offense was, again, lost, the Lightning look to forget their 1-0 loss to the Wild on Saturday and think back to their 3-0 record vs the Sabres instead. Tampa Bay has serious offensive issues right now, getting shutout 3/8 and held to 1 goal or less in 6/8 recently. If the Sabres are going to push for the playoffs, we have to beat teams when they're down. Especially playoff contending teams like Tampa. Beating the Lightning in Tampa, after a huge Saturday win, could be a launching point for this team. Shake off the demons from the 3 Tampa games earlier, and get a nice winning streak going into a pivotal match-up against the Panthers on Thursday night. This game should be intense. Look for Johnson to start, and possibly Vasilevskiy based on his last performance in Buffalo. Palat is injured (out 5-8 weeks, credit to 3Putt), and Colaiacovo is optimistic to return and replace Weber. Sabres look to juggle the lines again and get Ennis back into the grove. The 2nd and 3rd line look dangerous, and Moulson gets his opportunity again to play big minutes with O'Reilly. Game Preview Stats: Advanced Stats: Game 1 Advanced Stats: Game 2 Advanced Stats: Game 3 Team Comparison Graphs (CF% vs Scoring Chances)(Or any axis you want really) Sabres killing it in this one Monday's Practice Report Forwards: 26 Matt Moulson – 90 Ryan O'Reilly – 12 Brian Gionta 88 Jamie McGinn – 15 Jack Eichel – 63 Tyler Ennis 22 Johan Larsson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 23 Sam Reinhart 44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 17 David Legwand – 82 Marcus Foligno Defense: 4 Josh Gorges – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 29 Jake McCabe – 46 Cody Franson 25 Carlo Colaiacovo– 3 Mark Pysyk 6 - Mike Weber 35 Linus Ullmark 31 Chad Johnson

HOCKEY HOCKEY HOCKEY! ###### is it good to be back in a GDT. 4 days without Sabres hockey is just too long, especially when they're actually fun to watch again. :beer: Alright; as mentioned, the Sabres are coming off of a 4 day break, which saw a rest day Monday, practice days, and a visit to a military base to honor the troops...and drive humvees or, if you're Zemgus, hold a rocket-launcher. Other than that, Buffalo looks to keep the hot streak going as they come off two straight wins, and have won 3/4. Yes, you read that right, we have a win streak. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, has hit a bit of a rut, going 3-5-2 in their last 10, and coming off of a 2-1 loss in Detroit on Tuesday night. Tampa has lost 5/6. Stats: CF%: Buffalo - 52.1%, (6th), Tampa Bay - 51.2%, (10th) FF%: Buffalo - 51.5%, (9th), Tampa Bay - 50.5%, (12th) Fenwick For% = Fenwick For / (Fenwick For + Fenwick Against) Corsi For% = Corsi For / (Corsi For + Corsi Against) Advanced Stats For First Match-up Advanced Stats For Second Match-up Game Preview Look for Linus Ullmark and Bishop to get the start. Ennis will be back, and Drouin (missed 4 games, LBI) and Paquette (missed 5 games, ankle) are both questionable. Wednesday's Practice Report Don't look for the lines to change, they've been the same for the last two days of practice. Looks like Weber has found his place though WEDNESDAY’S PRACTICE 44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 90 Ryan O’Reilly – 63 Tyler Ennis 22 Johan Larsson – 15 Jack Eichel – 82 Marcus Foligno 26 Matt Moulson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 12 Brian Gionta 88 Jamie McGinn – 17 David Legwand – 23 Sam Reinhart 4 Josh Gorges – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 29 Jake McCabe – 46 Cody Franson 25 Carlo Colaiacovo – 3 Mark Pysyk 6 Mike Weber 31 Chad Johnson 35 Linus Ullmark

The Sabres will look to rebound from a frustrating loss on Thursday night as they take on the Flyers back home at the F'NC on Friday night. Buffalo, who beat the Flyers 4-3 in OT fashion Tuesday night, have 93 shots in their last two games, and are in the midst of a stretch that will see them play 3 games in 4 days; look for Ullmark to get the call tonight. On the other side, the Flyers are starting a 5 game road trip, and will look to get Voracek off the snide (0-3-3 so far this season). Look for Neuvirth to start against his old team (.947%, 1.55 GAA, 2-0-2 (SO)) I will post the lines for tonight's game when the AM lines are reported. Latest news is Ennis is day-to-day with an LBI, hopefully he's in tonight because we need him. Game Preview

The Buffalo Sabres stroll into Pittsburgh on Thursday night with perhaps a little more bounce in their step after a thrilling OT winner in Philly on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh is also feeling good, coming off a 3-1 win against the EC giants that are the Washington Capitals, and even managing to find some chemistry with Malkin and Kessel. The Sabres fore-check will look to pin the Pens dynamic forwards in their zone to neutralize them, and Chad Johnson should have a hell of a game ahead of him. However, a very interesting stat, as wjag (I believe) pointed out, is the Sabres actually have 4 more goals than the apparently dominate Pens offense, pointing to chemistry issues for the Penguins. HDDDB will look to exact some revenge on the team that canned him two years back in his first bout against the Penguins as a HC. Game Preview WEDNESDAY'S PRACTICE (NOTE: Reinhart & Ennis had a maintenance day, both are expected to start) Forwards: 44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 90 Ryan O'Reilly – 59 Tim Schaller (Ennis) 22 Johan Larsson – 15 Jack Eichel – Assistant Coach Dave Barr (Reinhart) 26 Matt Moulson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 12 Brian Gionta 82 Marcus Foligno – 17 David Legwand – 88 Jamie McGinn Defensemen: 4 Josh Gorges, 55 Rasmus Ristolainen, 29 Jake McCabe, 46 Cody Franson, 25 Carlo Colaiacovo, 3Mark Pysyk, 6 Mike Weber 31 Chad Johnson 35 Linus Ullmark

The Sabres begin their stretch without Evander Kane on Tuesday night when they visit the Flyers in Philly. Coming off of consecutive losses, the Sabres look to bounce back and start getting into a groove; at the very least we intend to beat these ass-hats. With Kane out, look for Eichel's line to dominate tonight. Look for Chad Johnson to get the start tonight and rebound from a terrible Montreal performance, and with Neuvirth suffering a recent injury, look for Steve Mason (2-2-1, 3.32 GAA, .899%) to start Game Preview Monday's Lines MONDAY’S PRACTICE 44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 90 Ryan O'Reilly – 63 Tyler Ennis 23 Sam Reinhart – 15 Jack Eichel – 22 Johan Larsson 26 Matt Moulson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 12 Brian Gionta 82 Marcus Foligno – 17 David Legwand – 88 Jamie McGinn – 59 Tim Schaller Defensemen: 4 Josh Gorges, 55 Rasmus Ristolainen, 29 Jake McCabe, 3 Mark Pysyk, 6 Mike Weber, 46 Cody Franson, 25 Carlo Colaiacovo 31 Chad Johnson 35 Linus Ullmark And, because I'm this desperate for a win tonight, I'll even highlight Gionta for this GDT

Alright, time for some selective memory here folks. We all know and witnessed the travesty that was the Canadiens game last night; the calls, the missed chances (get your act together Zemgus) and Johnson proving he's a back-up.....Well, time to move forward! The NJ Devils will visit the Buffalo Sabres for a Saturday night showdown of two Eastern teams looking to forget a poor 2014-2015 campaign. The Devil's hold a .500 record (3-3-1), though have won 3 straight, including a SO win against the Senators in their last game, and an OT win against the Coyotes. The Sabres meanwhile look to finally start cashing in on all of the evident opportunities they're creating. The good news? Eichel looks like a #1 overall pick, and Reinhart is finding his groove. Cory Schneider will be in net, and maybe look for Ullmark to get some action in a back-to-back for Buffalo. NJ is 2nd in the league in CF%, whereas Buffalo is 28th. And NJ is 1st in the league in FF%, whereas Buffalo is 29th. It's good to note though, all of NJ's wins have been of SO or OT. Game Preview I'm not quite sure what the lines will be, but judging from last game, we have: (I'll update in the morning I'm going to bed as soon as I post this. I have work 8-6, so if I don't by 11 am on my lunch, can some mod please do so? Thanks) Forwards 9 Evander Kane – 90 Ryan O'Reilly – 23 Sam Reinhart 63 Tyler Ennis – 15 Jack Eichel – 12 Brian Gionta 26 Matt Moulson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 82 Marcus Foligno 44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 17 David Legwand/22 Johan Larsson – 88 Jamie McGinn Defense 4 Josh Gorges – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 29 Jake McCabe – 3 Mark Pysyk 6 Mike Weber – 46 Cody Franson 25 Carlo Colaiacovo Goaltending 31 Chad Johnson 35 Linus Ullmark Alright, come on guys. Let's get this together. We have NJ, Philly, and Pitt coming up. Let's string some wins together, get on the roll, and put some pucks in the back of the damn net.

The Canadiens (7-0-0) bring their perfect record to Buffalo to face the 2-4-0 Sabres in the First Niagara Center. The consensus inside the Canadiens' locker room is that the Sabres will certainly offer up a good test – even if their early-season record of 2-4-0 leaves something to be desired through six games. Let's hope the Canadiens find their hands full with the rapidly improving Sabres. And even in the depths of the tank, the Sabres took 3 of 4 from Montreal last year. Rookie goaltender Mike Condon will start for the Canadiens. Game Preview The practice report from Thursday did not publish the lines; the one notable change is that backup goalie Nathan Lieuwen was sent down to Rochester and reports are that Linus Ullmark is coming up, prompting speculation as to whether he will start a game either Friday or Saturday. The morning skate looked like this: Forwards 9 Evander Kane – 90 Ryan O'Reilly – 23 Sam Reinhart 63 Tyler Ennis – 15 Jack Eichel – 12 Brian Gionta 26 Matt Moulson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 82 Marcus Foligno 44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 17 David Legwand/22 Johan Larsson – 88 Jamie McGinn Defense 4 Josh Gorges – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 29 Jake McCabe – 3 Mark Pysyk 6 Mike Weber – 46 Cody Franson 25 Carlo Colaiacovo Goaltending 31 Chad Johnson 35 Linus Ullmark This game will be an important measuring stick to see if the team is gelling and the offense starts to click against a quality opponent. Go Sabres!

Buffalo has lost eight of its past nine games (1-6-2). The Sabres recalled forward Mikhail Grigorenko on Friday. He was minus-2 in 8:09 against New Jersey. "Right now, guys are vying for jobs, and (we're) seeing how they respond," coach Ted Nolan said. "You look at (Johan) Larsson, he's made a good name for himself and really taken advantage of it. (Philip) Varone's doing it. Grigorenko, his first game here [since March 6], he has to learn how do that also." Predators center Colin Wilson, who has 40 points (20 goals) in 68 games, is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Nashville recalled Viktor Arvidsson from Milwaukee of the AHL on an emergency basis. The Predators have not played since losing 3-2 in overtime to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, their ninth loss in 11 games (2-8-1). Despite its recent struggles, Nashville enters Saturday two points behind the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division. Coach Peter Laviolette gave the Predators the day off Wednesday before holding full practice sessions on back-to-back days. "[We] look to take all of that and bring it to the game on Saturday." Who do you think wins the Battle of the Sabre Toothed Mascots?

Bogo still out. Kaleta still out. The Sabres, last in the NHL with 47 points, will play three games in four days beginning Friday, and continuing against the Nashville Predators on Saturday and Dallas Stars on Monday. Ummm.... Go Sabres. :angel:

Da Sabres take on one of the hottest teams in the league tonight as we march to Bean-Town for back-to-backs. Discuss

8 more to go

Septic 6 showdown in Air Canada Center tonight. Vamanos mis amigos.

Remember the last time we played these guys? HOW AWESOME that was! Oh.....you don't remember? The all-time series between these two is exactly tied at 0-0. The Knights are trying to show a team can be good right out of box. The Sabres are trying to prove they can be good. Let's lop off a few arms and legs and call it a win, eh? GO SABRES!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so you're a shark. Big deal. You know what happens when Sharks meet Sabres? SUSHI You're goin' DOWN, Sharks. This is a trap game for them: They think we're hopeless, but we're much better than the last couple of ###### shows. If Wednesday's practice is any indication, the lines will be Girgensons-Eichel-Pominville Kane-O'Reilly-Okposo Pouliot-Larsson-Reinhart Griffith-Josefson-Nolan Scandella-Risto Beaulieu-Tennyson McCabe-Gorges The Sharks' lines? Who cares? Cuz they're goin' DOWN! GO SABRES!

My sources are quiet on who is expected to play. If you haven't been paying attention, Nylander was hurt in the New Jersey game, and Asplund and Mittelstadt were not part of the roster. Pittsburgh roster The Penguins only rakish approved prospect on their roster is Daniel Sprong. Bruins beat the Penguins 3-2 in OT Penguins beat New Jersey 6-2 Sabres beat the Bruins 7-4 New Jersey beat Buffalo 4-3 in OT making all 4 teams 1-1 sabres.com played hide-and-seek with the streaming link for the Boston game, but I think it was quicksandmonster who found it on twitter.

Prospects are back for game 2 of 3, so I expect some lineup changes, but no one tells me anything, or 'my sources say nothing.' Boston's roster: Forwards: Anders Bjork, Shawn Boudrias*, Jake DeBrusk, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Jesse Gabrielle, Alex Gacek*, James Hamblin*, Danton Heinen, Justin Hickman, Joona Koppanen, Sean Kuraly, Cedric Pare, Zach Senyshyn, Oskar Steen. Defensemen: Victor Berglund, Connor Clifton*, Matt Grzelcyk, Owen Headrick*, Emil Johansson, Jeremy Lauzon, Charlie McAvoy, Rob O’Gara, Ethan Sakowich*, Jakub Zboril. Goaltenders: Kyle Keyser*, Luke Richardson*. *camp invites Boston is, rather surprisingly, full of rakish approved prospects. McAvoy, Zboril, Johansson, Bjork, DeBrusk, Forsbacka Karlsson, Heinen. In addition, Senyshyn is a first round pick. Streaming: sabres.com Radio: WGR Tickets: 10 bucks

Prospects begin their year against Will Butcher and the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres roster includes veteran prospects Justin Bailey, Nic Baptiste, Hudson Fasching, and CJ Smith. rakish approved prospects like Brendan Guhle, Cliff Pu. Former number 8 overall pick Alex Nylander. Not here: Mittelstadt, Asplund New Jersey's roster includes Nico and Will. rakish approved propects John Quenneville and Steve Santini. Another top pick is Michael McLeod. Not here: Joseph Anderson Questions to be answered: Was Nico the right choice? When will Dudacek give up on the the Rochester 4? Will Butcher, yes or no? Will Will leave the fabled Sabres bag for a lucky fan? How many fans will think the word 'Dreamy' when they see Nylander? 7:00, streaming: sabres.com radio: yes 10 bucks at the door.

Let's go Buffalo!

Let's keep the home fires going. Roast the Ducks!

All this buzz about the Julien firing.... there's a Sabres game tonight too, y'know. Doohickie's pick is Marcus Foligno. If Marcus Foligno scores a goal tonight.... I get bragging rights.

A GDT from NS, with love. My first one. Let's hope for a good game and just beat these guys. Not sure about TV. GO SABRES!!

Okay, time for the stretch run. Let's win a bunch of games and get into the playoffs. Ready, set, GO!

I suppose I might as well. The Red Wings come to town on the heels of an impressive comeback over Boston the other night. That Vanek kid looked impressive, somebody should keep an eye on him. The Sabres are just on their heels, DFL in the Eastern Conference thanks to the Islanders pulling their collective metaphorical finger out and somehow winning a game the other night. Hey, if they can do it... And I'm spent. Discuss.

Hair of the Dog. Best way to get over a bad experience with alcohol is more alcohol. Best way to get over a bad experience with hockey is.... more hockey. The Sabres don't have much time to lick their wounds. They have to get back to it. It's a good thing because right now I HATE THIS TEAM but after a satisfying evening of vicarious pillaging and baby eating and of course a Sabres win tonight, I'll love this team all over again. Like the Sabres, the Hurricanes are on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned. But they're closer, so close they can taste it. It's up to the Sabres to put a bad taste in their mouths. Go Sabres! I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Ullmark gets his first start of the NHL season in goal, considering the Sabres are playing on consecutive nights and Nilsson lost against Tampa Bay. (Sorry Anders, no hair of the dog for you!) We'll probably face Cam Ward for the Canes unless they decide to save him for the Rangers on Saturday. One other note: Justin Falk will go up against Justin Faulk tonight. Let's see.... Doohickie's featured goal scorer is..... Rasmus Ristolainen. Go get 'em, Rasmus!

I HATE THIS TEAM. I posted this on 12/29 when the Sabres blew a 2-goal lead on the Bruins. Since the first of the year though..... not so much. I actually like to watch the team. They've captured 7 of 8 points in 2017 and just as importantly, they're playing inspired hockey. Please, Sabres, don't take me back to I HATE THIS TEAM. I love watching you now, don't ruin it! The Sabres are getting healthy, while the Lightning are suffering from the injury bug. Starting goalie Ben Bishop is out. Several others are too, and TB is dipping into the AHL to fill out their roster (and no, their Peca and Dumont are not related to the former Sabres). The Sabres know what that's like, they know how other teams can take advantage of a banged up roster, and now it's time to take it out on the Lightning. Kick 'em while they're down, Sabres! Also of note: If we beat TB in regulation and push their losing streak to 5, we pass them in the standings. Likely starting goalies are Anders Nilsson and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Doohickie's pick is Matt Moulson. Look for Matty Mo to score a goal or three!