STAFF REPORTS
GAME-DAY RESOURCESLAST GAME
Saturday, November 10
Vancouver 3 at Buffalo 4 (SO)
Goals: Beaulieu, Skinner, Reinhart
Goalie: Hutton (36 saves/39 shots)
PP: 0/2; PK: 4/4; Shots: Vancouver 39 – Buffalo 37
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 63)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Matt Hunwick (neck, Oct. 4; injured reserve) – 17 games
Scott Wilson (ankle, Oct. 4; injured reserve) – 17 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
11/10: Acquired a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft from Dallas in exchange for D Taylor Fedun
UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, Nov. 16: Buffalo at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 17: Buffalo at Minnesota, 6 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 19: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 21: Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 23: Montreal at Buffalo, 4 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
LIGHTNING at SABRES
- This is the first of four meetings between the Sabres and Lightning this season.
- Last meeting: Tampa Bay defeated Buffalo 7-5 in Tampa on April 6
- Next meeting: Thursday, Nov. 29 in Tampa
- The Sabres are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Lightning; 2-5-3 at home
- This is the 99th game all-time between Buffalo and Tampa Bay; Buffalo has a 54-36-8 series record.
- The Sabres are 25-18-5 at home against the Lightning all-time.
THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY
- The Sabres are 11-8-2 all-time on November 13
- November 13, 1983: Mike Foligno and Gilbert Perreault each score a hat trick in an 11-2 Sabres win vs. Calgary.
- November 13, 2006: Teppo Numminen appears in his 1,252nd NHL game at Carolina, surpassing Jari Kurri for the most by a European-trained player at the time.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- The Sabres are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. It’s Buffalo’s best 10-game stretch since the team posted an identical 6-2-2 record from March 16 to April 5, 2016.
- Jack Eichel entered play Monday tied for third in the league with seven multi-point games this season, 11 shy of his career-high 18 in a season. Jeff Skinner tied for 10th with six, 10 shy of his career-high 16.
- Entering tonight’s game, Evan Rodrigues (1+3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (0+3) have each recorded at least a point in three straight matchups with the Lightning.
- Casey Mittelstadt scored his first career goal in the last meeting between Buffalo and Tampa Bay.
HOME COOKING
- Buffalo enters tonight’s game with 5-2-1 record at home this season. Entering play Monday, that record tied the team with the San Jose Sharks for the ninth-best home record in the NHL.
- With 11 points through eight home games, the team has already clinched its best 10-game start to the home schedule since they began the 2009-10 season with a 7-2-1 record in their first 10 home games.
- The Sabres have gone 3-0-1 their last four home games. A point tonight would give the Sabres points in five consecutive home games for the first time since they earned points in seven straight from Jan. 7 to Feb. 7, 2017 (6-0-1).
WHAT’S THE SKINNY?
- With 12 goals through Buffalo’s first 17 games, Jeff Skinner entered play Monday trailing only David Pastrnak (16 goals) for most in the NHL this season.
- With his 10th goal in the team’s 16th game of the season on Thursday at Montreal, Skinner reached the 10-goal mark quicker than any Sabres player since Thomas Vanek (10 games) in 2012-13.
- Only five players in franchise history have scored more goals through 17 team games than Skinner’s current total: Dave Andreychuk (17 in 1992-93), Rick Martin (14 in 1972-73 and 1973-74), Danny Gare (13 in 1980-81), Gilbert Perreault (13 in 1977-78) and Thomas Vanek (13 in 2008-09).
- Only Rick Vaive (14 in 1988-89) has scored more goals through his first 17 games played with the Sabres.
WINNING WAYS
Sam Reinhart has recorded three two-point games in his last four games played, totaling six points (1+5) during that stretch. The Sabres are 8-0-0 this season when Reinhart records at least one point and 24-2-3 (.879) in his career when he records at least two.
THREE’S COMPANY
Entering play Monday, Jeff Skinner, Jason Pominville and Jack Eichel each ranked in the top 10 in the NHL in points since Oct. 20 at Los Angeles. In those 10 games, Skinner has recorded 16 points (11+5), and Pominville (7+7) and Eichel (1+13) have totaled 14 points each.
SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings before 11/12 games)
- Eichel: 15 EVP (T-6th), 15 A (T-7th), 66 S (T-8th)
- Ristolainen: 1 OTG (T-4th), 25:15 TOI/GP (8th), 2 GWG (T-10th)
- Skinner: 12 G (T-2nd), 10 EVG (T-2nd), plus-11 (T-5th)
- Ullmark: 1 SO (T-6th)
BUF-TBL CONNECTIONS
Nathan Beaulieu:
- Played with Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern and D Mikhail Sergachev in Montreal.
Patrik Berglund:
- Won a silver medal with Lightning D Victor Hedman at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship. The duo played together again at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
- Has represented Sweden in international play with Lightning D Anton Stralman twice: at the 2009 IIHF World Championship, where they won a bronze medal, and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Jason Botterill:
- Played with Lightning assistant general manager Pat Verbeek in Dallas.
- Was a scout for the Stars when Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern played in Dallas.
- Was the assistant general manager in Pittsburgh when Lightning D Cameron Gaunce was playing for the Penguins.
Jack Eichel:
- Played for Team North America with Lightning F J.T. Miller at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Chris Hajt:
- Played with Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern in Washington.
Phil Housley:
- Coached Lightning F J.T. Miller at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, winning a gold medal together for the United States.
Johan Larsson:
- Represented Sweden with Lightning D Victor Hedman at the 2012 IIHF World Championship.
Jake McCabe:
- Played for Team USA with Lightning F Tyler Johnson at the 2014 IIHF World Championship.
- Won a gold medal with Lightning F J.T. Miller at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Jason Pominville:
- Played for Team USA with Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.
Sam Reinhart:
- Won a gold medal for Canada with Lightning F Brayden Point at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.
- Played under Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper for Team Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, winning a bronze medal.
Marco Scandella:
- Played in Minnesota when Lightning assistant coach Todd Richards was the head coach of the Wild.
Conor Sheary:
- Played with Lightning D Cameron Gaunce in Pittsburgh.
Jeff Skinner:
- Played for Team Canada with Lightning F Steven Stamkos at the 2013 IIHF World Championship.
- Won a silver medal for Canada with Lightning F Brayden Point at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.
Vladimir Sobotka:
- Represented the Czech Republic at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with Lightning F Ondrej Palat.
SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (48), McCabe (26), Girgensons (24)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (29), McCabe (28), Bogosian (24)
Shots: Eichel (66), Skinner (57), Pominville (45)
SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA,
PP, PK]
1-10: 6-4-0 (12), 26/28, 8/38, 22/30
11-20: 3-2-2 (8), 28/23, 3/23, 22/24
OVERTIME RESULTS (1-2; 114-123 all-time)
Oct. 27 at CBJ: L, 5-4 (GWG-Panarin, 0:31)
Oct. 30 vs. CGY: L, 2-1 (GWG-Gaudreau, 2:40)
Nov. 8 at MTL: W, 6-5 (GWG-Ristolainen, 1:38)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (1-0; 71-66 all-time)
Nov. 10 vs. VAN: W, 4-3 (GDG-Mittelstadt)
MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played:
Jeff Skinner … 4 games … 600 career games played
Nathan Beaulieu … 6 games … 300 career games played
Remi Elie … 6 games … 100 career games played
Evan Rodrigues … 6 games … 100 career games played
Goals:
Jason Pominville … 2 goals … 211 goals with Sabres (T-11th in franchise history)
Points:
Jeff Skinner … 2 points … 400 career points
Jack Eichel … 4 points … 200 career points
RECENT MILESTONES
Conor Sheary … 200th NHL game … Nov. 8 at MTL
from Sabres Digital Press Box via IFTTT
