1.15_CAR_Web - Static

The Buffalo Sabres continue a three-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes at KeyBank Center on Wednesday.

Coming off a 6-2 loss to Seattle on Saturday, the Sabres sit 11 points behind Columbus for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Overcoming that deficit will require an extended run of winning – which needs to begin with consistent habits, coach Lindy Ruff said Tuesday.

“The only way you can do that is by being predictable with your play, being consistent with your play,” Ruff said. “Part of that could be special teams. A big part of that is your 5-on-5 play, and probably the part that has hurt us when we have lost is our management of the puck at key times of the game.

“So, I think if we’re going to become consistent and get on a real good run, it’s being predictable and managing the puck in key situations.”

Tonight’s nationally televised game begins at 6 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (national): TNT

Streaming (national): Max

Radio: WGR 550

Click here for more ways to watch Sabres games.

Lineup notes (updated 5:40 p.m.)

Mattias Samuelsson is back in the lineup after missing the past two games with an illness. He replaces Jacob Bryson as Connor Clifton's third-pair partner.

Here are the full lines from warmups:

 

Forwards  
17 Jason Zucker24 Dylan Cozens72 Tage Thompson
77 JJ Peterka71 Ryan McLeod89 Alex Tuch
9 Zach Benson19 Peyton Krebs22 Jack Quinn
29 Beck Malenstyn48 Tyson Kozak81 Sam Lafferty
Defensemen Goalies
26 Rasmus Dahlin4 Bowen Byram1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
25 Owen Power10 Henri Jokiharju47 James Reimer
23 Mattias Samuelsson75 Connor Clifton 
 
 
 

Storylines

1. Inside focus

Ruff’s call for predictability within the Sabres' play extends to the offensive zone, where the focus in recent days has been on getting the puck to the net when opportunities arise.

The Sabres attributed their loss to the Kraken to a tendency to keep to the perimeter of the offensive zone. Practice on Tuesday was geared toward acting on shooting opportunities – and thus creating a habit for the non-shooting players to crash the net for tips or rebound chances.

“We needed to deliver it to the net sooner (in the Seattle game),” Ruff said. “Looked at a lot of opportunities where, inside the game, we probably passed up 15 times where we could have put it there and we deferred outside.”

2. Power-play progress

The Sabres power play ranks sixth in the NHL since Dec. 21 with a 32.1-percent conversion rate (9-for-28). The unit will be tested against a Hurricanes penalty kill that ranks second in the league at 85.0 percent and first since the beginning of December.

Read more about the power-play success in Tuesday’s practice report.

3. Scouting the Hurricanes

Bolstered by their strong penalty kill, the Hurricanes once again rank among the league’s top teams with an aggressive style of play that allows them to control the puck – evidenced by their NHL-best 58.9-percent share of 5-on-5 shot attempts this season.

At the center of Carolina’s identity is captain Jordan Staal, who was named Second Star of the Week by the NHL on Monday after scoring five points (3+2) in four games on top of his usual shutdown role. Staal has taken a team-high 364 faceoffs in the defensive-zone – more than double the second-place mark – yet the Hurricanes own a 60.8-percent share of shot attempts with him on the ice at 5-on-5.

Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes with 50 points – including 21 for the Carolina power play, which is just 1-for-19 over the last seven games.

Game notes

  • Rasmus Dahlin enters Wednesday on a five-game assist streak. With an assist tonight, he would match the longest streak of his career.
  • Jack Quinn has scored three goals in the last two games. He is tied for 10th in the NHL with seven goals since Dec. 15.
  • JJ Peterka has six assists in the last five games.