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

Jordan Greenway participated in the Buffalo Sabres’ optional morning skate Tuesday morning but will not be in the lineup when the Sabres host the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center, Sabres coach Don Granato announced.

Greenway left the ice shortly before the end of practice last Thursday due what Granato described as “aggravation” of an injury. He played in Buffalo’s back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday before missing Monday’s practice to undergo imaging on an upper-body injury.

Granato said the team received good news from the doctors but will need to give the injury time to resolve.

“Jordan is not good to go,” he said. “He was, obviously, out there skating, so he’s close to being sooner. But it’s something we’ll have to evaluate, continue to evaluate day by day here to see where he’s at.”

The Sabres will give Greenway a few days to rest the injury before re-evaluating later in the week.

Pregame coverage on Tuesday begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG/MSG+ with puck drop scheduled for 7. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know.

1. Skinner’s 1,000th 

Jeff Skinner is set to play his 1,000th game against the Capitals, becoming the 393rd skater in NHL history to reach 1,000 games played and the 47th active player to accomplish the feat.  

Skinner will be the 13th skater to appear in his 1,000th NHL game as a member of the Sabres and the first since Kyle Okposo did so on Nov. 14 against Boston. 

The Sabres will celebrate Skinner’s milestone throughout the evening and fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:55 p.m. for the start of a special pregame ceremony.

The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative red beanie featuring a print of Skinner’s signature. Skinner-themed giveaways will also be held throughout the night.

For more information on the celebration, including Skinner Smile Cutouts, special concession offerings, and photo opportunities, click here.

2. Projected lineup

The Sabres did not run line rushes during their optional skate but Granato did provide lineup updates during his media availability. Lukas Rousek will be in the lineup for Greenway while Tyson Jost will sit, Granato announced.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the first goaltender off the ice and is expected to make his 31st start since Jan. 1. He has posted a 17-12-1 record and a .920 save percentage in that span.

Here is the projected lineup based on Monday’s practice at KeyBank Center:

FORWARDS

77 JJ Peterka – 72 Tage Thompson – 89 Alex Tuch

9 Zach Benson – 24 Dylan Cozens – 22 Jack Quinn

53 Jeff Skinner – 19 Peyton Krebs – 13 Lukas Rousek

50 Eric Robinson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 71 Victor Olofsson

DEFENSEMEN

26 Rasmus Dahlin - 25 Owen Power 

4 Bowen Byram – 10 Henri Jokiharju

78 Jacob Bryson – 75 Connor Clifton

GOALIES

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

27 Devon Levi

3. On the power play

Greenway led the Sabres in power-play ice time in Saturday's game against Toronto, skating 7:32 with the man advantage. 

Zach Benson slotted into Greenway's bumper spot on Buffalo's first power-play unit during Monday's practice alongside Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, and Rasmus Dahlin.

4. The wild card race

The Sabres have the opportunity to make up ground in the wild card race with a win over the Capitals, who currently hold the final wild card spot with 82 points. Buffalo currently trails Washington by seven points in the standings and the two teams will have one more head-to-head meeting remaining in Buffalo on April 11.

Buffalo will also take on the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings this week as both teams are in the thick of the playoff race. The Flyers sit one point above the Capitals in the standings while the Red Wings are tied with the Capitals with 82 points.

“I mean, it’s obvious that you know those are teams that are fighting too. And there’s not enough spots for all those teams,” Granato said. “So, they’re really all in the same situation we are in the sense that they’ve got to win games to be in it or they’re not. And yeah, you can take points from those teams that are in it. And we all know how momentum swings are. You know, teams get on ruts and streaks, so if we can help them streak the wrong way, that could be the case too.”

Find the full playoff picture entering Tuesday in Sabres.com’s wild card hub.

5. Scouting the Capitals

The Capitals enter the matchup with wins in six of their last 10 games, but have lost two consecutive contests after a 5-1 loss to Toronto on Thursday and a 3-2 shootout loss to Boston on Saturday.

Alex Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 26 goals this season while Dylan Strome has paced the team with 61 points (25+36) in 73 games.

Forward Nic Dowd (2+1) and defenseman Nick Jensen (0+3) are each riding three-game point streaks, with three points each in that span.

Rasmus Sandin will be in the lineup for the Capitals while T.J. Oshie will be out, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery announced.