Buffalo soliders; Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres preview

WHERE: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
WHEN: 7 PM EST | | TICKETS: Check Availability
MEDIA: Sun Sports (cable), 970 WFLA (radio)
OPPONENT COVERAGE: Die by the Blade

Last time the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres squared off, the teams played back-to-back, home-and-home games a few days apart - with Tampa Bay sweeping the series in inspiring fashion. The season was young at the time, and while Buffalo had been strong early on - they started to fall back to earth with those losses.

Now? Both teams are mired outside the playoffs, with two points separating the clubs in the conference standings (54 points for Buffalo, 52 for Tampa Bay). Both teams have found success of late, with the Bolts going 6-2-2 and the Sabres going 5-4-1 in their past ten games each.

But here's the rub: The Sabres played last night, going to the shootout in their win against the Dallas Stars, while the Lightning will play again tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Can the Bolts take advantage of a team playing their second game in a row? And will they be able to overcome that stigma tomorrow against the Pens? We'll find out soon enough.

Ryan Malone has been practicing with full contact the past few days, he's a game-time decision for the Bolts tonight. If he doesn't go tonight, he'll likely get the start tomorrow in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

Mathieu Garon gets the start tonight in net for the Lightning, and he's tasked with keeping Thomas Vanek off the score sheet. Vanek particularly potent against Tampa Bay, with 23 goals and 7 assists in 26 games against the Lightning. Vanek had been out of action with an upper body injury since January 31^st, but he returned last night against the Stars, notching a goal in his return.

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