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| BUFFALO SABRES | ||
41-33-7(89 pts; .549%)
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7:30 P.M. – FRIDAY, APRIL 14 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Market) |
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| PROJECTIONS: | ||
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| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 42% | ||
| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER THE 538: 44% | ||
| CAESAR'S SPORTSBOOK: BUF -170 | ||
They won't be the front-runners for Connor Bedard, but the Columbus Blue Jackets certainly can put themselves in strong position in this summer's NHL Draft.
A loss in Friday's season finale against the Buffalo Sabres would help that cause.
What kind of potential loss also matters. With a regulation loss, the Blue Jackets are locked into a top four pick and will have the second-best odds to draft Connor Bedard. An overtime loss drops them to third-best odds and a nearly 70% chance at picking 4th or 5th, and if they win? That would mean a roughly 65% chance of picking 5th or 6th.
Here's what else to know when the puck drops at Nationwide Arena for the final time this season:
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | BUF |
|---|---|---|
| 2.60 | GOALS FOR | 3.56 |
| 4.00 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.64 |
| -1.40 | GOAL DIFFERENTIAL | -0.08 |
| 18.4% | POWER PLAY | 23.5% |
| 75.0% | PENALTY KILL | 72.9% |
| 29.2 | SHOTS FOR | 32.5 |
| 35.4 | SHOTS AGAINST | 33.1 |
| 44.9% | 5V5 CF% | 51.3% |
| 48.7% | FACE-OFF % | 45.0% |
| SABRES: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| MON, 4/10 | @ Rangers | W 3-2 SO |
| TUE, 4/11 | @ Devils | L 6-2 |
| THU, 4/13 | vs. Senators | W 4-3 OT |
| SABRES: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | Tage Thompson | 46 |
| ASSISTS | Rasmus Dahlin | 57 |
| POINTS | Tage Thompson | 93 |
TALKING POINTS: SABRES
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Buffalo was one of the surprise teams of the season, and it was only a few days ago they were eliminated from playoff contention.
- 41-year-old goalie Craig Anderson retired after the Sabres overtime win Thursday night in their home finale. He will not be part of the active roster Friday.
TALKING POINTS: CBJ
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Just lose, baby.
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Mikael Pyythia, Tyler Angle, Stanislav Szovil, and Samuel Knazko made their NHL debuts in Thursday's overtime win. Pyythia and Szovil picked up assists.
PROJECTED CBJ LINES
Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 19 | Liam Foudy | 91 | Kent Johnson | 82 | Mikael Pyyhtia |
| 39 | Tyler Angle | 21 | Josh Dunne | 52 | Emil Bemstrom |
| 46 | Joona Luoto | — | ——— ——— | 41 | Hunter McKown |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | Stanislav Svozil | 2 | Andrew Peeke |
| 75 | Tim Berni | 27 | Adam Boqvist |
| 6 | Billy Sweezey | 75 | Tim Berni |
| 62 | Samuel Knazko | — | ——— ——— |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Michael Hutchinson | 32 | Jon Gillies |
