Sabres at Hurricanes projected lineups
7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MSG-B
Sabres projected lineup
JJ Peterka — Jiri Kulich — Tage Thompson
Jason Zucker — Ryan McLeod — Alex Tuch
Jordan Greenway — Dylan Cozens — Jack Quinn
Beck Malenstyn — Peyton Krebs — Zach Benson
Bowen Byram — Rasmus Dahlin
Mattias Samuelsson — Owen Power
Dennis Gilbert — Henri Jokiharju
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
James Reimer
Scratched: Sam Lafferty, Jacob Bryson, Connor Clifton
Injured: None
Hurricanes projected lineup
Mikko Rantanen — Sebastian Aho — Andrei Svechnikov
Eric Robinson — Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Jack Roslovic
Jordan Martinook– Jordan Staal — Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall — Tyson Jost — Jackson Blake
Jaccob Slavin — Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov — Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere — Sean Walker
Pyotr Kochetkov
Frederik Andersen
Scratched: Riley Stillman
Injured: William Carrier (lower body)
Status report
The Sabres held an optional morning skate Thursday. … Zucker will be a game-time decision after blocking a shot with his skate during an 8-2 win against the New York Rangers on Saturday; Lafferty, a forward, will enter the lineup if Zucker is unavailable.
SABRES (24-27-5) at HURRICANES (33-21-4)
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Game Preview: Sabres vs. Hurricanes
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The Canes have not found the reset button yet.
Tonight at the Lenovo Center, an abysmal February mercifully ends. March will be a critical month for the Carolina Hurricanes, and the matchup against the last-place team in the Eastern Conference must be a hard reset for the Canes.
Buffalo Sabres Key Facts
Buffalo travels to Raleigh on a different trajectory. The Sabres lost just one game in February and have won six of their last seven. Over the past ten games, Buffalo has been one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference.
Tage Thompson, who leads the Sabres in goals and points, jumpstarted Buffalo’s hot streak with a hat trick on January 28. Thompson has 11 points in his last six games. He missed one game due to a Stefan Noesen hit in their win over New Jersey.
Linemates Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker are also playing well, tallying nine and eight points over the last seven games.
Captain Rasmus Dahlin had a six-game point streak come to an end Tuesday night, racking up 12 points during this recent stretch. With 46 points this season, he ranked seventh in scoring by a defenseman.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely get the nod in net. The Finnish goaltender has played in 41 games this season, carrying the load for Buffalo. Luukkonen is 20-14-4 with a 2.97 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.
The Canes have had an awful February, dropping five of six games. On Tuesday, they played one of their worst games in recent memory, a 4-0 shutout loss to Montreal.
There are valid concerns about lines and pairs from the armchair coaches across the internet.
Mikko Rantanen’s lack of production has sparked trade rumors. This is certainly causing unrest among the Caniacs, and one must wonder if it is distracting them in the locker room.
Below are the projected lines and pairs, although there may be plenty of shuffling during the game, for better or worse. Pyotr Kochetkov is in the starter’s crease.
Tonight is Whalers Night at Lenovo Center. The Canes will wear white Hartford Whalers throwback uniforms.
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Game #57 Preview & Open Thread: Sabres vs. Hurricanes
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | Lenovo Center | Raleigh, NC
TV: MSG-B, MSG+
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Record: 33-21-4 | 70 PTS
Division Ranking: 2nd in the Metropolitan
Last Game: 4-0 loss to Montreal
PP: 19.4% (24th) – (Sabres 16.7%, 27th)
PK: 84.3% (2nd) (Sabres 77.5%, 20th)
What to Watch
The friendly confines of the Lenovo Center – formerly known as PNC Arena – won’t be so friendly for the Sabres in Thursday night’s tilt. The Hurricanes have had great success on home ice this season, going 21-6-1. Since the beginning of the calendar year, they’ve won seven of 10 at home and have garnered at least a point in eight of 10.
Comparatively, the Sabres are 9-15-2 on the road this season and have won just two of their last eight away from home. But, altogether, Buffalo has won six of their last seven games, so it’s not all bad. They just need to find ways to take that home-ice spirit and energy and carry it with them to Carolina.
Jason Zucker will be a game-time decision tonight as he continues to deal with the after-effects of blocking a shot the other night. If he can’t go, Sam Lafferty will draw into the lineup.
For the Hurricanes, Tyson Jost is expected to draw back in after being a last-minute scratch on Tuesday. Riley Stillman will come out of the lineup. Also, Jordan Martinook is expected to play in his 700th NHL game.
Tonight is the Hurricanes’ annual “Whalers Night,” where they’ll don the traditional on-ice uniforms and participate in several activations to celebrate the history of the franchise. This will be the ninth time the Canes will wear Hartford’s colors since relocating in 1997.
And hey, if you want to feel old, per the Canes’ game preview: Eight players on Carolina’s roster (Aho, Blake, Jarvis, Jost, Kochetkov, Kotkaniemi, Stillman, and Svechnikov) were born following the Whalers’ relocation. As for the Sabres… well, the majority of the team were born post-May 6, 1997. Only Reimer, Zucker, Lafferty, Clifton, Tuch, Gilbert & Greenway were alive when the Whalers’ move to Carolina was announced.
If you’re wondering what that sound was, don’t worry, it was just my back cracking. Ouch!
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
J.J. Peterka – Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson
Jason Zucker (game-time decision) – Ryan McLeod – Alex Tuch
Jordan Greenway – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs – Zach Benson
(Sam Lafferty)
Defense
Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Mattias Samuelsson – Owen Power
Dennis Gilbert – Henri Jokiharju
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (expected), James Reimer
Carolina Hurricanes
Forwards
Mikko Rantanen – Sebastian Aho – Andrei Svechnikov
Eric Robinson – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Jack Roslovic
Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal – Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Tyson Jost – Jackson Blake
Defense
Jaccob Slavin – Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov – Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere – Sean Walker
Goaltenders
Pyotr Kochetkov (expected), Frederik Anderson
