2. SABRE-METRICS
Despite their record, the Sabres come in having earned points in each of their last four games, going 2-0-2... After a 3-2 win vs. Ottawa in their last game, Buffalo is looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since Oct. 21-24... The Sabres have also scored the fewest amount of goals in the NHL, ranking last with 67 tallies, including just 14 goals in the first period... The Sabres have scored on the man advantage in their last three games, going 3-for-9, but prior to that went 10 straight games without scoring on the power play (0-for-29).
3. THE BATTLE AGAINST BUFFALO
This is the first of three meetings of the year that will all take place in a 12-game span over 25 days with the Flyers visiting Buffalo eight days from now (Dec. 22) and the Sabres coming to town again on Jan. 7... The Flyers have just one regulation loss to the Sabres at home in the last six seasons, posting a 7-1-2 record since the 2011-12 season and an overall mark of 8-2-2 since the 2013-14 season... At home, the Flyers own a .680 winning percentage against Buffalo with a 52-20-17 record.
4. ODDS & ENDS
Claude Giroux has posted three consecutive multi-point games, recording six points (2g-4a)... Michael Raffl will appear in his 300th game in the NHL tonight... Robert Hagg is tied for third in the NHL in hits (101) which is second among all NHL d-men and leads all NHL rookies... Evander Kane is riding a five-game point streak (2g-3a)... The Sabres have just one goal from a defenseman so far this season, Jake McCabe, but D-man Rasmus Ristolainen leads the team and ranks second overall in the NHL in time-on-ice, averaging over 27 minutes per-game (27:07).
5. PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FLYERS (G: #37 - Brian Elliott)
Should he get the start, it will be his sixth straight and 14th in the Flyers last 16 games... He has a 10-6-6 mark and during the club's four-game winning streak he owns a 1.75 GAA and .946 save percentage having stopped 123 of 130 shots faced... Elliott also has career-best numbers against the Sabres, owning an 11-1-2 mark with a 1.85 GAA and .938 save percentage in 14 appearances.
SABRES (C: #15 - Jack Eichel)
He has points in four of his last five games, recording five points (1g-4a) in that stretch... He leads the team in assists (16) and is second in points (24) having played in all 31 games... The second overall pick in 2015 has the second-most games played (173), goals (56), assists (81) and points (137) of his draft class... He also has three goals and four points in five career games against the Flyers.
