The Sabres will look to keep their offense rolling when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight, the first of two December meetings between the two teams at Nationwide Arena.
The game will be nationally televised on TNT beginning at 7:30 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to start in goal. Here's the projected lineup based on the morning skate.
| December 7 at Columbus |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 77 JJ Peterka | 24 Dylan Cozens | 22 Jack Quinn |
| 71 Victor Olofsson | 17 Tyson Jost | 17 |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 74 Rasmus Asplund | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| | | |
| LD | RD | G |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
| | | |
The line of Peterka, Cozens, and Quinn has been at the center of the Sabres' recent offensive production. Peterka has two goals and two assists during his current four-game point streak; Quinn has three goals and two assists in that same span.
Cozens, meanwhile, earned Second Star of the Week honors from the NHL after tallying four goals and nine points in four games, including consecutive three-point outings.
Thompson said Cozens' intensity has impressed him most.
"Every time he hops over the boards, he's just determined to win that shift. No matter who he's going up against, he wants to win every battle. The majority of the time he's coming out with that puck.
"I think everybody sees his speed. When his feet are moving, I think that's when he's a dominant player and he's taking over games and I think that's what you've seen lately. He's had his feet moving, he's won one-on-one battles, and I think Quinny and JJ are following suit. He's kind of paving the way for those two right now."
Video: PREGAME: Thompson
Cozens has also made an impact since joining the Sabres' first power-play unit alongside Thompson, Dahlin, Skinner, and Alex Tuch. Both Thompson and coach Don Granato pointed to Cozens' ability to win battles as a quality that has improved the unit.
"I think he's actually provided some leadership there," Granato said. "First of all, he's helped win faceoffs, number one, which wasn't consistent enough without him on that unit. So, that's a big one. And then just puck battles and grit is key. I think he's forced the other guys to battle harder. So, very good leadership components even though he's the youngest guy in that group."
Video: PREGAME: Granato
Cozens, who turns 22 in February, ranks third among NHL players aged 21 or under with 24 points this season.
The Blue Jackets made an offseason splash with the addition of forward Johnny Gaudreau, but injuries have left them without multiple key players. Forward Jakub Voracek, their leading scorer last season, is out indefinitely. Top defenseman Zach Werenski is out for the season with a torn labrum.
Columbus sits in last place in the Eastern Conference with 18 points. It ranks 31st in goals allowed per game (3.96) and 32nd on the power play (14.3 percent).
Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets in assists (18) and points (27) and is tied with captain Boone Jenner for the team lead with nine goals.
Joonas Korpisalo will start in goal.
