GDT: Buffalo @ Tampa, 7:30 pm EST, NBCSN, 11/10/2015

[WildCard]

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

“We don’t want to let them sweep us for the season so this is going to be an important game for us,” Eichel said. “We definitely have a lot to prove to ourselves and overcoming them. They’re a good team and they were in the Cup Finals for a reason. But we’ve played them well and we know we can beat them.”

 
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

 

Edited November 10, 2015 by WildCard

[Randall Flagg]

Great GDT. Let's finally beat these hosers.

[3putt]

Palat is out 5-8 weeks.

[dudacek]

I predict two things that haven't happened yet this year:

Brian Gionta makes difference.

And we beat the Lightning.

[TrueBlueGED]

I predict two things that haven't happened yet this year:

Brian Gionta makes difference.

And we beat the ###### Lightning.

 

Depending on your perspective, this has in fact happened...

[WildCard]

Depending on your perspective, this has in fact happened...

A positive difference is what he meant  ;)

Great GDT. Let's finally beat these hosers.

Agreed. Getting real tired of seeing Tampa Bay, starting to develop a nice hatred for them

 

And thanks  :beer:

 

Palat is out 5-8 weeks.

Fixed it for you up top  :thumbsup:

 

I predict two things that haven't happened yet this year:

Brian Gionta makes difference.

And we beat the ###### Lightning.

:beer:

 

There's no reason not to. They have been playing like absolute horse ###### the past few weeks. We can and should beat these guys. The last 3 goals in the 1st were just missing assignments, nothing insanely good that Tampa Bay did. After that, we shut them down. The only thing is, they've shut as down every game, holding us to 1 goal in each contest IIRC. 

Edited November 10, 2015 by WildCard

[Doohickie]

They're starting to roll.  If Ullmark can bail them out when they have their inevitable periods of "but not out!" they have a chance, cuz everything else is coming together nicely.

We're ready for you this time, Lighting.

 

[TrueBlueGED]

A positive difference is what he meant  ;)

 

 

Of course, but taking that at face value is no fun at all.

[WildCard]

Of course, but taking that at face value is no fun at all.

Dammit that's right, we're allowed jokes on here. I forgot about that

[JJFIVEOH]

Tampa has scored multiple goals in 2 of the last 8 games. 

 

This is an NBC game, ugh. Shoot me now. 

[...]

Wow. So nice, in a superficial way, to be looking forward to Sabres games this year. Existentially, it's pathetic, but superficially it's great.

[Doohickie]

This is an NBC game

National showcase. Great opportunity for the Sabres to show they've turned it around.

[Andrew Amerk]

This is an NBC game, ugh. Shoot me now.

Yuck.

[JJFIVEOH]

National showcase. Great opportunity for the Sabres to show they've turned it around.

 

 

Well, if you put it that way........................ ;)

[That Aud Smell]

C'mon, boys.

 

I too have grown to dislike the Lightning. Familiarity breeds contempt.

[darksabre]

Must win.

[elcrusho]

I'll be in attendance tonight, Row 2 right next to the Sabres bench...

[Brawndo]

Johnson in net tonight

Per Bylsma

[CallawaySabres]

Johnson in net tonightPer Bylsma

He has to play well to even be considered the next several games

[nfreeman]

Great GDT, WC.

 

Interesting that DDB is going with Ocho Cinco. Presumably we'll see Linus vs the Panthers.

 

I think NBCSN does a good job with the production but I'm not crazy about Emrick. He just talks too much for my taste.

 

I just realized that I look forward to seeing Eichel every game.

 

Go Sabres.

[The Dominator]

Great GDT, WC.

 

Interesting that DDB is going with Ocho Cinco. Presumably we'll see Linus vs the Panthers.

 

I think NBCSN does a good job with the production but I'm not crazy about Emrick. He just talks too much for my taste.

 

I just realized that I look forward to seeing Eichel every game.

 

Go Sabres.

 

And O'Reilly. I look for both of them whenever a line change is made. They're so fun to track around the ice

[PASabreFan]

It could be Strader, who doesn't seem to tolerate much in the way of chit chat during play, which is my and a lot of people's beef with Emrick-Pierre-Eddie. Emrick is fine, by himself.

[TrueBlueGED]

It could be Strader, who doesn't seem to tolerate much in the way of chit chat during play, which is my and a lot of people's beef with Emrick-Pierre-Eddie. Emrick is fine, by himself.

I agree with this.

[That Aud Smell]

I'll be in attendance tonight, Row 2 right next to the Sabres bench...

 

We'll be looking for you, sir.

Emrick is fine, by himself.

 

Emrick is a very good PBP talent who knows the game. IMO, the things that annoy us about him are not of his making.

[nfreeman]

It could be Strader, who doesn't seem to tolerate much in the way of chit chat during play, which is my and a lot of people's beef with Emrick-Pierre-Eddie. Emrick is fine, by himself.

I agree with this.

 

My issue isn't the chit-chat between them, it's Emrick himself.  The sheer volume of verbiage that pours out of him is too high.  There are a number of occasions every game that he does where I just say to myself "STFU already!"

 

I think Eddie is decent-to-good, and McGuire more or less the same, although a bit of a blowhard.

 

JMO, of course.