Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Canadiens

With their longest road trip of the season in the rearview mirror, the Sabres return to KeyBank Center to open a four-game homestand tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sabres went 3-1-0 on the trip through Alberta and the Pacific Northwest, which concluded with a 5-1 loss in Seattle on Tuesday.
Tickets for tonight are available here.
Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. Rick Jeanneret will make a special appearance on the pregame show with Brian Duff and Martin Biron. The puck drops at 7. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray have the call on MSG and WGR 550.
Here are five things to know.

1. Injury report

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams provided updates on injured defensemen Henri Jokiharju and Mattias Samuelsson during the morning skate.
Jokiharju sustained a fracture when he took a shot to the face during the first period in Calgary last Thursday. He is progressing and considered week to week.
Samuelsson sustained a lower-body injury while attempting a hit in the corner in Vancouver on Saturday. He returned to Buffalo for an MRI and does not need surgery.
"It's gonna be a few weeks but much better than maybe originally we thought," Adams said. "So, a few weeks and then we'll kind of go from there. He's going to be out some time but not terrible."

2. Adjustments on defense

The Sabres are without two defensemen who play 20-plus minutes on a nightly basis in Jokiharju and Samuelsson. The team added depth on defense during the offseason with the additions of Lawrence Pilut, Kale Clague, Jeremy Davies, and Chase Priskie on one-year contracts. Pilut made his season debut in Seattle on Tuesday.
Adams said the team is considering additional moves.
"What we won't do is make big reaction-type move or emotional move," Adams said. "But if we think something makes sense that we could provide a little more depth for the organization, not at a cost where we're giving up assets or anything, then maybe's that's something we'll look to do. So, we've been having those conversations the last couple days."

3. The lineup

Eric Comrie was the first goaltender off the ice, signaling a second straight start. The Sabres did not reveal their forward lines or defense pairs during the morning skate, but coach Don Granato confirmed Peyton Krebs will return to the lineup in place of Rasmus Asplund.
The team is utilizing a rotation with 14 healthy forwards. Vinnie Hinostroza, Jack Quinn, and Krebs each have sat out two games.
Granato said he addressed the forward rotation with the team this morning, emphasizing that scratches should not be looked at as punishments for not playing well.
"We have 23 players and 82 games," Granato said. "And our forwards are healthy right now, our defense is not. Because our forwards are healthy, we're going to have a rotation."
Granato said he has seen Quinn benefit from his two games out of the lineup. Quinn was elevated to the first power-play unit during the morning skate on Thursday.
"I thought he came back re-energized and even better than he left the lineup," Granato said. "And that's important. We feel comfortable that that's going to happen with each guy as long as we approach it right from the organization standpoint."

4. Skinner vs. Montreal

Jeff Skinner had a four-goal, five-point game against the Canadiens last season, giving him 20 goals and 34 points in 35 career games against them.
The Sabres have won seven out of 10 games against Montreal with Skinner in the lineup.

5. Scouting the Habs

Montreal is expected to be without forward Juraj Slafkovsky, who has missed the last two games with an injury. Slafkovsky was the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft this past summer.
The Canadiens are 3-4-0, buoyed by a defense that ranks 13th in the NHL in goals against per game (3.00) and a penalty kill that ranks eighth (85.7).
The Montreal power play ranks 31st with just one goal on 21 attempts this season.
Cole Caufield leads the Canadiens with five goals while Nick Suzuki paces the team with seven points.