Game Day: Preds at Sabres Preview

The Nashville Predators are looking to extend their win streak to three games as they meet the Sabres tonight in Buffalo. This evening's contest is the second and final meeting between the Preds and Sabres this season and the only outing at KeyBank Center.
After starting the week with a 5-4 victory over Philadelphia, the Predators defeated the Ottawa Senators by a 4-1 count on Tuesday. Nashville played well enough to earn two more points in that most recent outing, but they also say their effort can be much better, and they'll be looking to make some adjustments on this one-game trip away from home.

"Things are starting to creep up in our game that we need to fix," Preds forward Michael McCarron said following Thursday's practice. "I think today was a great step forward. We had a really strong, fast, high-tempo practice… We know the way we can play, and if we do that on a consistent basis, we'll be a scary team."
"As you come down the stretch, it's really about your habits and consistency of understanding how hard you need to play the structure that we need to play with," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said Thursday. "Right now, we're a bit inconsistent, and that's what we've talked with our team about. We had a good practice today, but as you come down the stretch, you want to be able to get to the game that gives you the best chance to win and not change a lot of things - but you have to make sure that they're very consistent and reliable and they're at a high level and right now I think we have another level to get to."
Preds blueliners Dante Fabbro (week-to-week) and Mark Borowiecki (week-to-week) did not play Tuesday, and both remain out with their respective injuries.

The Good Guys:

Three different Preds scored in Tuesday evening's win against the Ottawa Senators including a pair from McCarron, one of which came shorthanded. Tanner Jeannot and Matt Duchene also found the back of the net, and goaltender Juuse Saros got the start and made 36 saves to earn his 33rd win on the season.
Preds Captain Roman Josi continues to lead his club in points with 81 (18g-63a), followed by Duchene with 68 (35g-33a) and Filip Forsberg with 66 (37g-29a). Mikael Granlund has 50 points (9g-41a), Ryan Johansen has 49 (17g-32a) and Jeannot has 40 (23g-17a). Saros is now 33-20-3 in net; netminder David Rittich is 5-3-1.

The Opposition:

The Sabres have lost three of their last four games including a 3-2 shootout loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday evening. Tage Thompson leads his club in points with 51 (28g-23a), followed by Jeff Skinner with 47 (27g-20a) and Rasmus Dahlin with 43 (9g-34a). Goaltender Craig Anderson is 12-9-2 in net; netminder Dustin Tokarski is 7-9-5.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 17-10-(1)-2 all-time against the Sabres, including a 11-2-(1)-0 record on the road. Nashville is 0-1-0 against Buffalo in 2021-22, dropping a 4-1 decision on Jan. 13 at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games vs. the Sabres; they are 5-4-1 in their last 10; and 4-1-0 in their last five on the road. Nashville has not played in Buffalo since Dec. 12, 2019, a 4-3 defeat. Prior to that game, the Predators won eight games in a row in Buffalo from Dec. 1, 2008-April 2, 2019.

Notables Versus Buffalo:

Ryan Johansen is on a personal 13-game point streak vs. Buffalo in which he's tallied 14 points (4g-10a). He's recorded a point in 15 of his 18 career games against the Sabres (4g-13a).
Duchene has eight points (3g-5a) in his last nine games vs. Buffalo, including a three-point effort (3a) on Feb. 15, 2018. Granlund has seven points (3g-4a) in his last nine games against Buffalo.
Predators Assistant GM, Director of Player Development and Milwaukee Admirals GM Scott Nichol began his NHL career with Buffalo, skating in five games for the Sabres from 1995-97. Predators Assistant Coach Dan Lambert spent one season in the same role for the Sabres in 2015-16.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for this evening's 6 p.m. CT start from Buffalo begins at 5:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Lyndsay Rowley have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 5 p.m. with Darren McFarland.