CANADIENS AT SABRES
Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Sabres game at KeyBank Arena on Friday (4 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), by Pat Hickey.
1. The matchup This is the third of four meetings between these Atlantic Division rivals. The Canadiens swept the season series last season, but the Sabres hold a 2-0 edge this season. Buffalo won 4-3 at home on Oct. 25 when Kyle Okposo scored a power-play goal on Antti Niemi with 1:01 to play. The Sabres were 6-5 winners in overtime at the Bell Centre on Nov. 8. Vladimir Sobotka and Jeff Skinner each scored two goals and Rasmus Ristolainen scored the winning goal on a night Carey Price would like to forget. He gave up six goals on 31 shots. 2. Domi trade looking better and better The Canadiens looked terrible Wednesday night in a 5-2 loss to New Jersey in Newark, but newcomer Max Domi continues to produce offence. Domi picked up a goal to run his consecutive-game points streak to 11 games. He has 11 goals and 15 assists, and has at least one point in 19 of Montreal’s 22 games this season. One of the beneficiaries of Domi’s play has been linemate Jonathan Drouin. He scored his eighth goal of the season and is second in team scoring with 19 points. Both players are on pace for career seasons. 3. The goalies This is the first half of a backto-back set for both teams. The Canadiens like to split the work in these situations and will start Niemi in Buffalo, while Carey Price will get the nod against the Bruins on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. Price blanked the Bruins 3-0 in Boston on Oct. 27. The Sabres, who will be in Detroit Saturday night, likely will go with Carter Hutton. He was perfect in the third period and overtime in that Nov. 8 game after starting goaltender Linus Ullmark gave up five goals. 4. Rookies to watch Only five players from this year’s NHL Entry Draft are still playing in the NHL and two of them will be in action in this game. The Canadiens selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the third overall pick and he is tied for third in rookie scoring, with three goals and nine assists. Buffalo defenceman Rasmus Dahlin, the most sought-after prospect, has two goals and 11 points. The Swede has averaged 18:35 of ice time as a third-pairing defenceman and has a plus-5 rating. 5. New day in Buffalo The Sabres had the worst record in the NHL last season, but they come into this game as the hottest team in the league, with a seven-game winning streak after beating Philadelphia 5-2 at home Wednesday. Jack Eichel, who was the consolation prize when the Oilers made Connor McDavid the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, leads the team with 25 points, including five goals, while Skinner is among the league leaders in goals (15). Former Canadien Nathan Beaulieu played Wednesday, but probably won’t dress if Marco Scandella is healthy.