Lightning vs. Sabres: Projected lines, storylines, injuries

The Lightning and Sabres are set to meet for the final time this season.
Tampa Bay has take three of a possible six points so far this season against Buffalo. The Bolts won 2-0 in Buffalo in the first meeting of the season but have only an overtime loss to show in the two most recent matchups.

Lines from Thursday's practice. Subject to change.
Forwards
Ondrej Palat - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn - Anthony Cirelli - Yanni Gourde
J.T. Miller - Tyler Johnson - Cory Conacher
Chris Kunitz - Cedric Paquette - Ryan Callahan
Defensemen
Victor Hedman - Dan Girardi
Ryan McDonagh - Anton Stralman (Jake Dotchin)
Braydon Coburn - Mikhail Sergachev
Slater Koekkoek - Andrej Sustr
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Louis Domingue or Peter Budaj
Friday's Matchup
The Lightning and the Sabres are completing their four-game season series tonight and playing the second of two meetings at AMALIE Arena...Tampa Bay is 1-1-1 versus Buffalo this season...The Sabres came away with a 2-1 overtime win the last time the two teams met Feb. 28 at AMALIE Arena, Jason Pominville scoring the game-winner 1:26 into OT on a power play... Cory Conacher netted the lone goal, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32-of-34 saves for the Bolts in the loss...The Sabres earned a 5-3 win in Buffalo Feb. 13 despite goals from Yanni Gourde (PP), Vladislav Namestnikov and Ryan Callahan for the Lightning...Tampa Bay's lone win in the season series came Nov. 28, a 2-0 shutout victory in Buffalo, Mikhail Sergachev netting the game-winner on a first-period power play, Dan Girardi adding an insurance marker and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopping all 34 shots for his second shutout of the season...The Lightning are 6-1-1 in their last eight home games vs. Buffalo...The Bolts are 15-3-2 in their last 20 games overall against the Sabres... Andrei Vasilevskiy is 6-1-1 and has posted two of his 12 career shutouts in eight starts all-time vs. BUF... Tyler Johnson has more assists (12) for his career vs. BUF than he does against any other NHL team... J.T. Miller has more points (12) for his career vs. BUF than he does against any other NHL team and has points (2-4--6) in four of his last five games vs. BUF... Yanni Gourde has points (1-1--2) in two-straight games vs. BUF... Nikita Kucherov has points (3-6--9) in eight-straight games vs. BUF.
Friday's Storylines
Tonight's game is the start of the Bolts' 13th and final back-to-back set of the season...The Lightning are 6-5-1 in the first half of a back-to-back set...Tampa Bay remains in second place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference, tied with Boston on points but the Bruins own a game in hand...The Lightning have locked up no worse than a second-place finish in the Atlantic and East, just the second time in franchise history the Bolts have finished second or better in their conference (also: 1st place in East in 2003-04)...Tampa Bay set a franchise record for points (110) in a season following Tuesday's win and has already established franchise marks for wins (53), road wins (25), road points (52), goals (281) and road goals (143) this season...The Lightning's 138 home goals are tied for second most in team history and one goal shy of matching the all-time mark of 139 set in 2014-15...The Bolts pace the NHL for wins, goals and goals per game (3.51)...The Bolts are attempting to finish the regular season first in the NHL for goals for the second time in franchise history (also: 262 goals in 2014-15).
Injuries
2017-18 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 128
Current injuries
Adam Erne - Lower body (out indefinitely; injured March 26) 4 games
Steven Stamkos - Lower body (day-to-day; injured April 1) 1 game
Transactions
April 1 - Signed D Cal Foote to a 3-year, entry-level contract
The Big Cat
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 33 shots he faced April 3 vs. BOS to record his eighth shutout of the season and set a Lightning franchise record for most shutouts in a season (previous best: Nikolai Khabibulin - 7 in 2001-02)...With 12 career shutouts, Vasilevskiy moved into a tie with Daren Puppa for the third-most shutouts all-time in Lightning history...Vasilevskiy ranks tied for first in the NHL for shutouts with NSH's Pekka Rinne...Vasilevskiy recorded his 84th career victory Tuesday to move past Nikolai Khabibulin (83) and into second place among the Bolts' all-time goalie wins leaders.
Vasilevskiy's .921 save percentage ranks 10th in the NHL and would be the third-best save percentage for a season in Lightning history if the season ended today...Vasilevskiy has set season franchise records for wins (43), road wins (18), shootout wins (7) and saves (1,881)...Vasilevskiy's 64 games and 3,765 minutes played are the third most in a season by a Lightning goalie...Vasilevskiy paces the NHL for wins this season.
On Point
Lightning second year pro Brayden Point scored his 31st goal of the season April 3 vs. BOS for his third goal in the last three games...Point's goal proved to be the game-winner, his 11th game-winning goal this season and one away from matching Steven Stamkos' franchise record for most game-winning goals in a season (12 in 2011-12)...Point ranks tied for first in the NHL for game- winning goals.
Hed of the Class
Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman netted his 16th goal April 3 vs. BOS to match his career high for goals in a season set previously in 2016-17...Hedman joins Dan Boyle (20 goals in 2006-07) as the only Lightning defensemen to record 16 or more goals in multiple seasons...Only four times in Lightning history has a Bolts blueliner recorded 60 or more points in a season (also: Roman Hamrlik, 65 in 1995-96 and Dan Boyle, 63 in 2006-07), and Hedman is the only one to do so more than once...Since March 3, Hedman ranks second on the Bolts for goals (7) and ranks tied for first for scoring (16 pts.) with Nikita Kucherov ...Since the beginning of March, Hedman owns a 16.7% shooting percentage; his shooting percentage from the beginning of the season to the end of February was 5.3%.
In the Nik of Time
Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov tallied an assist April 3 vs. BOS to reach the 60-assist mark, the first Bolt to do so since Martin St. Louis put up 68 assists in 2010-11...Kucherov's 60 assists are the third most by a right wing in Lightning history and the fourth most among all Bolts skaters...Kucherov's 98 points are the fourth most all-time in a single season by a Lightning player...Kucherov ranks second in the race for the NHL's Art Ross Trophy.
One in a Mill-ion
Lightning forward J.T. Miller netted his 23rd goal of the season and 10th since joining the Bolts in the win April 3 vs. BOS...Since joining Tampa Bay via trade Feb. 26, Miller has recorded 10 goals and 17 points in 16 games...Miller's 10 goals since Feb. 26 lead the Bolts and his 17 points since Feb. 26 are tied for first with Victor Hedman.