Ilya Lyubushkin did not participate in the morning skate and will not play tonight, the team announced. Lyubushkin traveled with the team but is taking the day to rest his lower-body injury after practicing Thursday for the first time since October 29.
Craig Anderson was the first goaltender off the ice. Below is the full projected lineup based on the morning skate:
| November 4 at Carolina |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| 22 Jack Quinn | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 77 JJ Peterka | 24 Dylan Cozens | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 19 Peyton Krebs | 74 Rasmus Asplund |
| LD | RD | G |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 38 Kale Clague | 25 Owen Power | 31 Eric Comrie |
| 20 Lawrence Pilut | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
| | | |
Tage Thompson has six goals and 11 points over the past three games, placing him in a tie for 13th (alongside teammate Rasmus Dahlin) in the NHL with 14 points this season.
With a point tonight, Thompson would become the eighth player in Sabres history to accumulate 12 or more points in a four-game span. The others: Maxim Afinogenov, Dave Andreychuk, Pat LaFontaine, Rick Martin, Alexander Mogilny, Gilbert Perreault, and Rene Robert.
Tweet from @BuffaloSabres: ThompsHIM. đŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/eEec8wACEW
Jeff Skinner returns to face his former team riding a four-game point streak, during which he's tallied two goals and six assists.
Skinner, who spent the first eight seasons of his career with Carolina, has six goals and 10 points in seven career games against the Hurricanes.
The Sabres outshot their opponents by a cumulative tally of 169-99 during their four-game homestand, which ended with a comeback win against the Penguins on Wednesday. Their plus-15 goal differential this season is tied for fifth in the NHL.
Having said all that, Granato kept the focus on improvement when asked about his team's defensive success after the morning skate.
"There's so much more growth room that we need," he said. "I really feel that the last few games we've caught some teams that haven't played well as well, and I think that's a factor to help us limit some shots.
"And I do know that - certainly on this trip - we're playing some teams that are hitting on all cylinders, specifically tonight. So, it's so unique, it's so different than any of the last games we've played. And I feel each game moving forward, as least for the next 10 or 12, is almost a unique game as all teams are fighting to get into some sort of rhythm."
The Sabres play the three-time reigning Eastern Conference champions in Tampa on Saturday, followed by home games against the current top teams in the NHL (Vegas and Boston) next week.
"It's so important for us to play top teams," Granato said. "And beyond top teams, just games where you're challenged greatly by the opposition - and tonight by the environment is another one. … Those are stimuli that when you feel you have a capable, yet experienced team are huge growth opportunities."
Carolina has won three straight games beyond regulation after a come-from-behind, 4-3 shootout victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday.
The Hurricanes and Sabres are tied for eighth in the NHL with an average of 2.80 goals allowed per game. The Hurricanes allowed an NHL-best 2.44 goals per game last season.
"They force the opposition to make a lot of mistakes is what I see through their work ethic, their compete, their consistency. Very determined. They know their identity and they play to it every night. So, you can prepare for it, but you're also preparing for a real challenge."
Martin Necas, who enters the contest on a five-game point streak, leads the Hurricanes in assists (8) and points (14). Andrei Svechnikov has a team-high eight goals.
