Recreation Preview | 5 issues to know forward of Sabres at Oilers | Buffalo Sabres – NHL.com

JJ Peterka will skate on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in Edmonton.
EDMONTON – The Buffalo Sabres resume their push within the Jap Convention wild card race once they go to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Thursday.
The Sabres enter the day 5 factors behind the Detroit Crimson Wings, who occupy the second wild card spot with 76 factors. The Crimson Wings host the Islanders – who’re two factors forward of the Sabres – at 7 p.m.
Pregame protection on MSG/MSG+ begins at 8:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 9. Radio protection could be discovered on WGR 550.
Listed below are 5 issues to know.
Right here’s a have a look at the wild card image getting into Thursday:
For a each day breakdown of the standings and video games pertaining to the race, bookmark Sabres.com’s Wild Card Hub.
The Sabres had new-look ahead traces throughout their morning skate, together with a transfer for JJ Peterka alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. Lukas Rousek will enter the lineup rather than Eric Robinson.
The total projected lineup is as follows:
FORWARDS
77 JJ Peterka – 72 Tage Thompson – 89 Alex Tuch
12 Jordan Greenway – 24 Dylan Cozens – 9 Zach Benson
28 Zemgus Girgensons – 19 Peyton Krebs – 53 Jeff Skinner
13 Lukas Rousek – 17 Tyson Jost – 71 Victor Olofsson
DEFENSEMEN
26 Rasmus Dahlin – 4 Bowen Byram
25 Owen Energy – 10 Henri Jokiharju
78 Jacob Bryson – 75 Connor Clifton
GOALTENDER
1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
The Sabres can even have new appears to be like on each power-play items after an 0-for-4 night time in Vancouver on Tuesday.
Jordan Greenway skated on the highest unit, manning the entrance of the online with Tuch within the bumper place, Peterka and Thompson on the flanks, and Rasmus Dalin on the level.
The second unit consisted of Zach Benson on the internet entrance, Jeff Skinner within the bumper place, Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram on the flanks, and Owen Energy on the level.
“I assumed we had been stagnant the opposite night time, in our personal heads just a little bit,” Sabres coach Don Granato stated. “… We wish to simply have a greater assault mentality, simplify. [Play] easy and direct, tougher.”
Rousek will play his first sport since March 9, when he skated 12:58 in Buffalo’s shootout win over Edmonton. Granato described the 24-year-old earlier this month as bringing a mix of relentlessness and duty to the lineup.
“He doesn’t make a play on the expense of a play coming again towards you,” Granato stated. “He doesn’t put his linemates in a tricky place with floating a go into protection that may be counterattacked earlier than you will get into protection, per se.
“He places pucks in areas that makes it arduous on the opposite workforce, makes if simpler on our workforce. He has an important knack for it and an important intelligencer for it and he’s prepared to work arduous.”
The Sabres received their residence sport towards the Oilers earlier this month in memorable trend. They got here again after falling behind 29 seconds in, celebrated after scoring an time beyond regulation purpose that was overturned as a result of an offside problem, and eventually emerged victorious in a three-round shootout.
Inside that, the Sabres did an efficient job at limiting Oilers famous person Connor McDavid, who was held with no level for simply the ninth time this season. Energy and Henri Jokiharju every skated 10-plus minutes towards McDavid at 5-on-5 whereas Cozens was McDavid’s main matchup at ahead.
McDavid ranks third within the NHL with 108 factors and first with 82 assists. Zach Hyman leads the Oilers and ranks third within the league with 46 objectives.
“You by no means really feel such as you restrict that workforce as a result of they’re so explosive and dynamic,” Granato stated. “You definitely go into tonight’s sport very conscious of how dynamic and explosive they’re and clearly gifted.”

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