Columbus Blue Jackets (5–3–0) vs. Buffalo Sabres (W–L–OTL)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017, 7 p.m. (NATIONWIDE ARENA)
We've made enough cheap jokes about this being a "Rivalry Night" game, so we'll shelf the one we had written for this lede. You're welcome.
But seriously, the Blue Jackets need a win here in the worst way. It's early, so the situation isn't dire, but they've dipped here after starting with wins in five of their first six games. They gave up six goals to Los Angeles (and scored four, which always stings when you don't win those) and couldn't buy one against Tampa Bay, and now they've got a Sabres team coming in after having played last night in Detroit.
The Sabres got off to a wobbly start under first-year coach Phil Housley, but "stabilized" with a couple of wins last week. They have a talented core of young players led by Jack Eichel up front and Rasmus Ristolainen on the back end, along with solid veterans like Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo, but for whatever reason couldn't put it together under Dan Bylsma.
Jason Botterill, first-year GM of the Sabres, has a big task ahead of him to get Buffalo on the right road. Times have been lean for the passionate hockey fans of western New York and sooner than later, you'd like to see their patience rewarded. God, the Bills are enough pain.
You Oughta Know: Jack Eichel
He's their franchise player. Eichel signed an eight-year, $80 million extension shortly before the season and is, without question, the Sabres' top offensive threat. He's quick, elusive and absolutely dangerous with the puck — and has proven that, early in his career, he's capable of beating opponents in a variety of ways.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: First meeting
LAST YEAR: Blue Jackets won two of three meetings (2-1-0)
Keys to the Game
ONE: Pucks on net. The Blue Jackets aren't shooting the puck nearly enough and they need to put more pressure on opposing defenses. They're going to have a different look to their forward lines for this game, with the aim of having a more direct approach to their attack.
TWO: Support. The Blue Jackets were disjointed on Saturday night against the Kings and there wasn't a lot of connectivity between their forwards, defense and goaltender. Facing this Sabres team that features plenty of scoring ability, the Blue Jackets need to play a tighter game and help out Sergei Bobrovsky.
THREE: Get back on track. Simple as that.
Sabres Projected Lineup* (as of Tuesday)
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Benoit Pouliot | 9 GP, 1-1-2 | 90 | Ryan O'Reilly | 9 GP, 3-4-7 | 29 | Jason Pominville | 9 GP, 5-6-11 |
| 9 | Evander Kane | 9 GP, 6-5-11 | 15 | Jack Eichel | 9 GP, 4-7-11 | 21 | Kyle Okposo | 7 GP, 0-1-1 |
| 17 | Jordan Nolan | 7 GP, 0-0-0 | 23 | Sam Reinhart | 9 GP, 2-1-3 | 95 | Justin Bailey | 4 GP, 2-1-3 |
| 26 | Matt Moulson | 7 GP, 0-0-0 | 22 | Johan Larsson | 9 GP, 1-1-2 | 25 | Seth Griffith | 7 GP, 0-1-1 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Marco Scandella | 9 GP, 0-2-2 | 55 | Rasmus Ristolainen | 9 GP, 0-4-4 |
| 19 | Jake McCabe | 9 GP, 0-2-2 | 27 | Taylor Fedun | 1 GP, 0-0-0 |
| 93 | Victor Antipin | 5 GP, 0-0-0 | 5 | Matt Tennyson | 9 GP, 0-0-0 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Robin Lehner | 5 | 1-3-1 | 3.29 | .894 | 0 |
| 31 | Chad Johnson | 4 | 1-2-1 | 3.84 | .881 | # |
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