Expected Lines
Sabres
Skinner – Reinhart – Olofsson
Asplund – Mittelstadt – Thompson
Bjork – Cozens – Ruotsalainen
Rieder – Eakin – Okposo
Bryson-Ristolainen
Dahlin-Jokiharju
Irwin-Miller
Tokarski
Capitals
Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Wilson
Mantha – Backstrom – Oshie
Sheary – Eller – Sprong
Hagelin – Dowd – Hathaway
Orlov – Carlson
Dillon – Schultz
Chara – Jensen
Vanecek
Tale of the Tape
Record: Buffalo (10-25-7; 8th division/31st league) vs. Washington Capitals (28-11-4; 1st division/3rd league)
5v5 Goals For %: Buffalo (39.75%; 31st) vs. Washington Capitals (56.32%; 7th)
5v5 xGoals For %: Buffalo (46.10%; 26th) vs. Washington Capitals (49.50%; 18th)
Point Leaders:Reinhart (26) vs. Backstrom (44)
News and Notes:
Mantha joins the Capitals
The Sabres take on the Capitals for the first time since acquiring Anthony Mantha in the final minutes of the trade deadline on Monday.
Mantha had a goal and an assist against the Flyers in his Capitals debut.
Sheahan out
Forward Riley Shehan will be out of the lineup with an upper-body injury per Granato.
Player to watch: Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin has seen an increase in confidence under Don Granato and has six points (2G, 4A) in his last six games.
Bjork’s debut
Anders Bjork will once again play on a line with Arttu Ruotsalainen and Dylan Cozens, a spot he looked comfortable in his Sabres debut on Tuesday.
Despite just over 13 minutes of ice-time, Bjork registered an assist and nearly had the game-winning goal in overtime. The 24 year old is an interesting player to follow the rest of the season.
Eichel out for the season
While not completely un-expected as it’s been months since hearing from the Sabres’ Captain, it was made official on Wednesday that Jack Eichel will be out for the remainder of the season.
Eichel’s injury is listed as a herniated disc in his neck and he’s expected to make a full recovery for next season.
Without getting ahead of ourselves, it’s pretty crazy to think of the possibility that Eichel may have played his last game as a Sabre.
