The Sabres take on the Boston Bruins in the first game post trade deadline. Buffalo will face some familiar faces as former Sabres Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar are expected to be the lineup.
Expected Lines
Sabres
Skinner-Reinhart-Olofsson
Asplund-Mittelstadt-Thompson
Bjork-Cozens-Ruotsalainen
Sheahan-Eakin-Okposo
Bryson-Ristolainen
Dahlin-Jokiharju
Irwin-Miller
Ullmark
Bruins
Marchand-Begeron-Pastrnak
Hall-Krejci-Smith
Ritchie-Coyle-DeBrusk
Blidh-Lazar-Wagner
Lauzon-McAvoy
Reilly-Kampfer
Zboril-Clifton
Swayman
Bjork to make his Sabres debut
The main piece in the Hall trade will make his debut against the team that traded him tonight. Forward Anders Bjork is going to be on the wing with Dylan Cozens and Arttu Ruotsalainen.
Bjork is excited to be in Buffalo with a bigger role and is hoping to turn into an offensive threat with the Sabres.
“My speed is an asset, for sure, and something that I’m trying to use in the right way and find better ways to use it. … I have some offensive ability and I want to learn and develop into a more offensive player and score more goals. That’s a way I can help this team.”
— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) April 13, 2021
Bjork appeared in 30 games this year for the Bruins scoring twice and adding three assists, his underlying numbers are average. He posted a 50.65% CF%, a 49.01% xGF% and a 43.33% HDCF% with the Bruins at 5v5 this season (via natural stat trick).
The line of Bjork-Cozens-Ruotsalainen will be a huge improvement over the typical Sabres 3rd lines this season and will likely be the line most fans want to watch in this one for the Sabres.
Lazar/Hall to be in the Bruins lineup
Both former Sabres will be making their Bruins debut against the Sabres. Hall will be LW2 for Boston while Lazar will be the 4C.
Hall didn’t live up to expectations in Buffalo but looks to bounce back against the team that he signed with last October. Lazar was a solid bottom-six forward in Buffalo and said that he is looking forward to playing against his former team (a thing he will get to do a lot over the next month).
The Bruins are looking to make a playoff run and both former Sabres hope to be a prominent force in that, and both will need to make a good impression against their former team to start off on the right foot in Boston.
News/Notes
- Both Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin enter tonight with five points in the Sabres last five games
- Since Granato’s first win (March 29th) the Sabres are 4th in the league in 5v5 goals (natural stat trick)
- This is the third matchup between the Sabres and Bruins but it marks the first of six matchups between now and May 1st.
Prediction
The Bruins win this one, Hall scores against his former team but Buffalo keeps it close (4-3).
