Game #47 Preview & Open Thread: Sabres vs. Canucks

Buffalo Sabres (17-24-5) vs. Vancouver Canucks (20-15-10)

Puck Drop: 10:00 PM EST | Rogers Arena | Vancouver, BC

TV: MSG

Know Your Opponent

Vancouver Canucks

Record: 20-15-10 | 50 PTS

Last Game: 3-2 win over Edmonton (Jan. 18)

Division Ranking: 5th in Pacific

PP: 21.9% (Sabres: 18.1%)

PK: 80.3% (Sabres: 76.9%)

What to Watch

1. Roster Moves

Earlier today, the Sabres reassigned goaltender Devon Levi to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. They recalled forward Tyson Kozak. It’s unclear if Levi is actually going back to Rochester right now, or if he’s staying up with the Sabres for the rest of their road trip, to give them some roster flexibility. (His demotion opened the roster spot for Kozak.)

Jason Zucker is ill and questionable for tonight’s game, so we’ll have to wait until warmups to see for sure what the lines look like.

2. Recent Struggles

The Sabres come into tonight’s game on a two-game losing streak. Tonight’s game is also the second half of a back-to-back, but head coach Lindy Ruff put the team through a full practice this morning after a performance last night that he wasn’t happy with.

According to Sabres.com, Ruff said: “We need to learn and take game day to learn to compete around the front of the net. Yesterday wasn’t acceptable.”

3. No Myers

Former Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers will miss tonight’s game, as he begins to serve a three-game suspension. Myers received a match penalty, and subsequent three-game suspension, for cross-checking Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard this past Saturday.

Infamously, Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was also suspended three games as a result of his own actions in that game. That will keep him out of the lineup on Saturday when the Sabres come to Edmonton.

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

Jason Zucker – Jiri Kulich – Tage ThompsonJJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Alex TuchZach Benson – Peyton Krebs – Jack QuinnBeck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin – Bowen ByramOwen Power – Mattias SamuelssonJacob Bryson – Connor Clifton

Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer

Vancouver Canucks

Forwards

Jake Debrusk – Elias Pettersson – Brock BoeserPius Suter – J.T. Miller – Conor GarlandDanton Heinen – Teddy Blueger – Kiefer SherwoodNils Hoglander – Max Sasson – Phil Di Giuseppe

Defense

Quinn Hughes – Mark FriedmanCarson Soucy – Filip HronekDerek Forbort – Vincent Desharnais

Goalies: Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen