Tampa Bay Lightning (29-26-8) at Buffalo Sabres (27-26-11): Game 64
Time: 7:00 pm Eastern Time
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo NY
Broadcast/Streaming: MSG-B, SUN
Opponent SBNation Site: Die By The Blade
Preview:
At this point, the Bolts are a stretch to make the playoffs. Although they constantly hang around about four or six points out of the wild card spot, one has to wonder if it would be beneficial to the club if they did make it. Would it be better to exhaust the team in a late-season stretch, only to get swept by Montreal in round one?
The thought of an offseason to rest and assess the state of the team seems like a positive move for the Lightning. After multiple deep runs in past few years, the Bolts have consistently been worn down, including this year, which saw multiple key injuries to the club.
The Bolts, at 66 points, have three teams between them and the Islanders, in the wild card slot at 70. Regardless of the Bolts’ actually placement in the standings, whether two points or ten points out, the team has had a hugely lackluster year, and the reason my faith in their playoff hopes is dwindling is not because the point race itself but just because of the quality of play all season.
A few good games and wins does down the stretch do not foreshadow the rest of the season. The club had a down year as far as wins, but with Yzerman’s recent deadline moves and a season that saw huge development for the likes of Jonathan Drouin, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov, we can be happy with how the season played out. If anything, this season allowed the club to prolong their window of opportunity for the cup for years to come.
Last night Tampa Bay had some good looks early on, but ultimately got dismantled by a superior club in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tonight on the second half of the back to back, the Bolts will look to put together a more complete performance against a struggling Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres sit in a familiar situation this year to the Bolts, in that inconsistent play in all facets of the game has plagued them. The inability to close out games with the lead late in games, as well as flailing d-pairings, have given their goalies little help.
The Sabres didn’t make any moves at all at the trade deadline, which seems odd given that the Sabres will likely miss out on the playoffs, and did not shop any veterans for draft picks or compensations. GM Tim Murray was unable to trade UFA’s Cody Franson and Dimitri Kulikov, and questions still remain on forward Evander Kane and his time in Buffalo. If anything, tonight’s game will give a nice glimpse into how young stars are impacting their teams.
It seems much can’t be blamed on head coach Dan Bylsma, however. When he was handed the team two seasons ago, the organization was in full rebuild mode and increasingly gets better every season. He may be on the hot seat next season, though, if the Sabres’ play continues to be poor. That is of course if the Sabres GM gives him some room to work with.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forward Lines
Ondrej Palat – Tyler Johnson – Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn – Brayden Point- Jonathan Drouin
Vladislav Namestnikov – Cedric Paquette – Adam Erne
Gabriel Dumont – Greg McKegg – J.T. Brown
Defense Pairings
Jason Garrison – Anton Stralman
Victor Hedman – Andrej Sustr
Braydon Coburn – Jake Dotchin
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Peter Budaj
Buffalo Sabres
Forward Lines
Tyler Ennis – Ryan O’Reilly – Kyle Okposo
Marcus Foligno – Jack Eichel – Sam Reinhart
Evander Kane – Zemgus Girgensons – Brian Gionta
Matt Moulson – Evan Rodrigues – Justin Bailey
Defense Pairings
Jake McCabe – Rasmus Ristolainen
Dmitry Kulikov – Zach Bogosian
Goaltender
Anders Nilsson
