Game Preview: 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Oilers

Jordan Greenway watched from afar with little surprise as Tage Thompson blossomed into one of the best players in the NHL under the leadership of Don Granato.
Greenway and Thompson were teammates at the U.S. National Team Development Program and played for Granato from 2013 to 2015. Greenway knew then that Thompson possessed a rare blend of talents on the ice - size, IQ, and can't-miss skill.
"I think Donny was able to help him be the player that he knew he could be, and I think that's great," Greenway said.
Greenway is hoping to reach his own potential after being acquired by the Sabres from the Minnesota Wild on Friday, reuniting him with Thompson and Granato. He will make his debut tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, skating on a line with Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo.
The game can be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu beginning at 7:30 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call on WGR 550.
Here are five things to know.

Mattias Samuelsson and Riley Stillman are both out with upper-body injuries and considered day to day. Samuelsson did not skate this morning; Stillman skated with an upper-body injury.
Tyson Jost is nursing an injury and will come out of the lineup for Greenway. He has not been ruled out for Tuesday's road game against the Islanders.
Craig Anderson is expected to start in goal. Here's the full projected lineup:
| March 6 vs. Edmonton | | --- | | LW | C | RW | | 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 22 Jack Quinn | | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 24 Dylan Cozens | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza | | 77 JJ Peterka | 19 Peyton Krebs | 71 Victor Olofsson | | 12 Jordan Greenway | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 21 Kyle Okposo | | | | | | LD | RD | G | | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 41 Craig Anderson | | 25 Owen Power | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | | | 78 Jacob Bryson | 38 Kale Clague | | | | | |
Greenway has two goals and seven points in 45 games with Minnesota this season. The Sabres acquired him in part because of Granato's belief that the 6-foot-6 forward has more to give.
"I think he's seeing that maybe I've had a little bit, I haven't been playing to who I am, and I think he sees something that he can help and that he can maybe take the leash off me a bit," Greenway said.
Greenway spoke highly of his time with Granato at the USNTDP.
"The one thing about him was he always knew how to the players that he had play their best," he said. "I think he knows how to make each guy individually go and what they need. He cares about his players."

Greenway said he was "pumped" to learn he had been traded to the Sabres.
"What this team has been able to do, the direction that they're going in, it's great," he said. "It's something that I'm excited to be a part of and something that I'm just looking to do whatever I can to keep them going in that in the right direction."
The Sabres sit three points behind the Penguins for the second Wild Card spot with one game in hand. The Islanders are four points ahead of the Sabres in the first Wild Card spot but have played four more games.
Here's the full Wild Card picture entering Monday:
| Team | GP | Points | P% | Reg. W | ROW | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | WC1 - New York Islanders | 65 | 72 | .554 | 28 | 32 | | WC2 - Pittsburgh Penguins | 62 | 71 | .573 | 24 | 30 | | Buffalo Sabres | 61 | 68 | .557 | 24 | 31 | | Ottawa Senators | 62 | 68 | .548 | 25 | 30 | | Florida Panthers | 64 | 68 | .531 | 27 | 29 | | Washington Capitals | 64 | 68 | .531 | 24 | 30 | | Detroit Red Wings | 63 | 65 | .516 | 22 | 26 |
Tonight's games of interest include Ottawa at Chicago (9 p.m.) and Washington at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m.).
Tonight presents a matchup of two of the NHL's top scoring teams. The Oilers rank first in goals per game (3.88); the Sabres rank third (3.74). The Oilers have the top-ranked power play (31.9 percent); the Sabres are tied for fourth (25.1 percent).
Edmonton's offense is fueled as usual by its dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid leads the NHL in goals (52), assists (70), and points (122); Draisaitl ranks second in points (96) and has a league-high 26 power-play goals.
The Oilers bolstered their lineup at the trade deadline with the acquisition of defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Predators. He's average 20:07 in ice time and has a plus-6 rating in three games with Edmonton.
Stuart Skinner (17-13-4, .912 save percentage) is expected to start in goal.