Last Time Out:A shorthanded two-on-one and a sharp-angle shot off of the skate of Frederik Andersen put the Canes behind the eight ball in the first period Thursday night in Nashville. While they'd go on to dictate play for the remaining 40 minutes, they were unable to get a single shot by Juuse Saros. The Predators' defense in front of him blocked 26 shots and the netminder stopped 33, resulting in a 3-0 Nashville win.
In Net:Rod Brind'Amour said on Sunday that the plan is for the Canes to rotate their goalies for the rest of the regular season. With Frederik Andersen having played on Thursday against the Predators, that would suggest that Antti Raanta will have the net this afternoon in Buffalo. On a franchise record 17-game point streak, "Rants" is 15-0-2 since November 17.
Turbo Time:Teuvo Teravainen returned to the lineup on Thursday after missing four games due to an illness. Skating alongside Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas at five-on-five, #86 also enters today's game with 19 points in 18 career games against the Sabres.
Aho Digs Buffalo:Like Teravainen, Aho has also enjoyed playing the Sabres in his career. The Canes' top-line center has produced 23 points in 15 career regular-season games against them.
Shooting For Three:Carolina is 44-4-5 when scoring three goals or more this season.
Get The First One:Carolina is now 38-5-4 when scoring the first goal of the game. Only the Bruins (40) have more wins when earning the contest's first tally.
On The Other Side:The Sabres' playoff hopes are on life support, but alas, they remain entering today's contest. If they fail to earn a point today, their bid will officially come to an end. The young talent continues to take the next steps in their careers, highlighted by Tage Thompson's 92 points in 74 games this season. Dylan Cozens (31 goals) and Owen Power have both also had strong seasons and the group has received another shot in the arm as of late with netminder Devon Levi turning pro. However, the Sabres have allowed the third-most goals in the NHL (64) over the last calendar month, and their penalty kill (72.7%) is the worst in the Eastern Conference for the season.
