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GAME DISCUSSION THREAD GAME #79: DET (37-27-14) at BUF (21-48-9) – TUE APR 8 – 7:00 PM EDT – MSG-B, BELL TV – WGR-550 BUFFALO SABRES Final Lineup 82 Marcus Foligno – 63 Tyler Ennis ("A") – 80 Chris Stewart 19 Cody Hodgson ("A") – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 17 Torrey Mitchell 44 Nicolas Deslauriers – 22 Johan Larsson – 27 Matt D’Agostini 65 Brian Flynn – 37 Matt Ellis – 88 Cory Conacher X: 21 Drew Stafford (undisclosed), 23 Ville Leino (healthy), (24 Zenon Konopka (healthy) 10 Christian Ehrhoff ("A") – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 6 Mike Weber – 4 Jamie McBain 29 Jake McCabe – 3 Mark Pysyk X: 5 Chad Ruhwedel (concussion), 20 Henrik Tallinder (undisclosed), 32 John Scott (healthy), 52 Alexander Sulzer (LBI), 57 Tyler Myers (LBI) 31 Matt Hackett 35 Andrey Makarov X: 1 Jhonas Enroth (LBI), 34 Michal Neuvirth (LBI), 50 Nathan Lieuwen (concussion) Lineup News & Notes G Jhonas Enroth (LBI), F Torrey Mitchell (undisclosed), D Henrik Tallinder (undisclosed), F Drew Stafford (undisclosed), F Zenon Konopka (back), G Michal Neuvirth (LBI), D Alex Sulzer (LBI), D Tyler Myers (LBI), and F Chris Stewart (ankle) were scratches in Sunday's 5-2 loss at Philadelphia. Weekly Transactions 04/02: Signed D Jake McCabe to a three year ELC. 04/04: Recalled F Luke Adam (emergency basis) from Rochester (AHL). 04/08: Recalled D Mark Pysyk and G Andrey Makarov from Rochester (AHL); Reassigned F Luke Adam to Rochester (AHL). According to the Stats In the last 10 games, the Sabres have gone 2-7-1. Tyler Ennis has four points (2G/2A) in his past five games. Cody Hodgson has 3G/2A in his past five. DETROIT RED WINGS Final Lineup 8 Justin Abdelkader – 13 Pavel Datsyuk ("A") – 93 Johan Franzen ("A") 43 Darren Helm – 17 David Legwand – 11 Daniel Alfredsson 14 Gustav Nyquist – 15 Riley Sheahan – 21 Tomas Tatar 20 Drew Miller – 41 Luke Glendening - 26 Tomas Jurco X: 18 Joakim Andersson (healthy), 44 Todd Bertuzzi (healthy), 71 Daniel Cleary (knee), 55 Niklas Kronwall ("A") – 2 Brendan Smith 27 Kyle Quincey – 65 Dan DeKeyser 4 Jakub Kindl – 23 Brian Lashoff X: 55 Jonathan Ericsson (finger) 35 Jimmy Howard 50 Jonas Gustavsson Lineup News & Notes Detroit scratched F Joakim Andersson, F Todd Bertuzzi, D Jonathan Ericsson, and F Daniel Cleary in Saturday's 5-3 loss at Montreal. F Mikael Samuelsson (shoulder), F Henrik Zetterberg (back), and F Stephen Weiss (sports hernia) are on IR. Weekly Transactions 04/05: Signed C Luke Glendening to a three-year contract extension. According to the Stats In the Last 10 Games Detroit has gone 6-3-1. Darren Helm has five points (4G/1A) in his past five games. Gustav Nyquist has points in 11 of his past 12 with 12G/3A. Johan Franzen has four assists in his past five. PREGAME LINKS 04/07 – GAME RECAP: Injuries mount as Sabres drop 5-2 decision to Flyers (Chris Ryndak – Sabres.com) 04/06 – GAME RECAP: Canadiens blow lead, rebound to top Red Wings (Arpon Basu – NHL.com) 04/07 – GAME PREVIEW: Red Wings begin final stretch against Sabres (Jon Lane – NHL.com) 04/07 – NEWS: A Look Ahead in Hockeytown (Bill Roose - DetroitRedWings.com) 04/07 – Two concussions, a sliced ear and 13 injuries (Amy Moritz – buffalonews.com) 04/07 – Injuries still ravaging Sabres; Lieuwen out with concussion (Bill Hoppe – Olean Times Herald) 04/07 – BEYOND THE BOARDS: SABRES UPDATE INJURY REPORT YET AGAIN (Chris Ryndak – Sabres.com) 04/07 – Zac Rinaldo suspended 4 games for elbowing Chad Ruhwedel in head (Bill Hoppe – Olean Times Herald) 04/07 – Game Preview: 4/8/14 vs Detroit Red Wings (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/07 – Ted Nolan speaks with the media following Monday's practice at First Niagara Center. <8:02> 04/07 – Dan Dunleavy recaps Monday's practice at First Niagara Center. <1:46> 04/07 – Torrey Mitchell speaks with the media following Monday's practice at First Niagara Center. <1:43> 04/07 – Zenon Konopka speaks with the media following Monday's practice at First Niagara Center. <1:08> 04/07 – Marcus Foligno speaks with the media following Monday's practice at First Niagara Center. <2:56> 04/07 – Philadelphia Flyers center Zac Rinaldo has been suspended for 4 games. <1:46> 04/08 – WGR: Ted Nolan's weekly segment on the Howard Simon Show <21:23> 04/08 – Press Clips: 4/8/14 vs Detroit Red Wings (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/08 – Sabres vs Red Wings Game Notes PDF (Sabres.com) 04/08 – Detroit Red Wings Game Day Blog (DetroitRedWings.com) 04/08 – SABRES RECALL PYSYK, MAKAROV (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/08 – Sabres upset about Zac Rinaldo’s suspension, plan to be ‘vocal on this one’ (Bill Hoppe – Olean Times Herald) 04/08 – Nolan frustrated by NHL ruling on Flyers' Rinaldo (Mike Harrington – buffalonews.com) 04/08 – Ted Nolan speaks with the media following Tuesday's morning skate at First Niagara Center. <7:53> 04/08 – THE MORNING SKATE: STEWART, MITCHELL, FOLIGNO RETURN AGAINST DETROIT (Chris Ryndak – Sabres.com) 04/08 – Dan Dunleavy previews Tuesday night's game against the Red Wings at First Niagara Center. <3:18> 04/08 – Mark Pysyk speaks with the media following Tuesday's morning skate at First Niagara Center. <2:52> 04/08 – Jake MCcabe speaks with the media following Tuesday's morning skate at First Niagara Center. <1:13> 04/08 – Christian Ehrhoff speaks with the media following Tuesday's morning skate at First Niagara Center. <2:17> 04/08 – Teppo Numminen speaks with Dan Dunleavy prior to Tuesday night's game against the Red Wings at First Niagara Center. <1:39> 04/08 – GameDay Preview - Buffalo: Detroit Red Wings v. Buffalo Sabres April 8th, 2014 - First Niagara Center. <3:59> POSTGAME LINKS 04/08 – NHL POST-GAME NEWSLETTER: Detroit Red Wings @ Buffalo Sabres (NHL.com) 04/08 – Sabres PR Post-Game Report: 4/8 vs. DET (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/08 – GAME RECAP: GIRGENSONS SCORES TWICE IN LOSS TO RED WINGS (Chris Ryndak – Sabres.com) 04/08 – Dan Dunleavy recaps the Sabres 4-2 loss to the Red Wings. <2:52> 04/08 – Ted Nolan speaks with the media following the Sabres 4-2 loss to the Red Wings. <2:28> 04/08 – Mark Pysyk speaks with the media following the Sabres 4-2 loss to the Red Wings. <1:37> 04/08 – Matt Hackett speaks with the media following the Sabres 4-2 loss to the Red Wings. <1:53> 04/08 – Zemgus Girgensons speaks with Brian Duff and Mike Robitaille following the Sabres 4-2 loss to the Red Wings. <1:58> 04/08 – Girgensons dances around Kronwall for beauty. <0:36>

GAME DISCUSSION THREAD GAME #77: BUF (21-46-9) at DET (36-26-14) – FRI APR 4 – 7:30 PM EDT – MSG-B, BELL TV – WGR-550 BUFFALO SABRES Final Lineup 88 Cory Conacher – 63 Tyler Ennis ("A") – 23 Ville Leino 19 Cody Hodgson ("A") – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 27 Matt D’Agostini 72 Luke Adam – 22 Johan Larsson – 44 Nicolas Deslauriers 32 John Scott – 37 Matt Ellis – 65 Brian Flynn X: 17 Torrey Mitchell (undisclosed), 21 Drew Stafford (undisclosed), 24 Zenon Konopka (back), 80 Chris Stewart (ankle), 82 Marcus Foligno (LBI) 10 Christian Ehrhoff ("A") – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 6 Mike Weber – 4 Jamie McBain 29 Jake McCabe – 5 Chad Ruhwedel X: 20 Henrik Tallinder (undisclosed), 52 Alexander Sulzer (LBI), 57 Tyler Myers (LBI) 31 Matt Hackett 50 Nathan Lieuwen X: 1 Jhonas Enroth (LBI), 34 Michal Neuvirth (LBI) Lineup News & Notes G Jhonas Enroth (LBI), F Torrey Mitchell (undisclosed), D Henrik Tallinder (undisclosed), F Drew Stafford (undisclosed), F Zenon Konopka (back), G Michal Neuvirth (LBI), D Alex Sulzer (LBI), D Tyler Myers (LBI), and F Chris Stewart (ankle) were scratches in Thursday's 2-1 loss at St. Louis. Weekly Transactions 03/30: Reassigned C Mikhail Grigorenko to Rochester (AHL) from Quebec (QMJHL). 04/01: Signed C Justin Kea to a three year ELC. 04/02: Signed D Jake McCabe to a three year ELC. 04/04: Recalled F Luke Adam (emergency basis) from Rochester (AHL). According to the Stats In the last 10 games, the Sabres have gone 2-7-1. Tyler Ennis has three points in the past two games. Cody Hodgson has a three-game point streak. Ville Leino has an assist in two straight. DETROIT RED WINGS Final Lineup 14 Gustav Nyquist – 17 David Legwand – 93 Johan Franzen ("A") 13 Pavel Datsyuk ("A") – 43 Darren Helm – 11 Daniel Alfredsson 21 Tomas Tatar – 15 Riley Sheahan – 26 Tomas Jurco 20 Drew Miller – 41 Luke Glendening – 8 Justin Abdelkader X: 18 Joakim Andersson (healthy), 44 Todd Bertuzzi (healthy), 71 Daniel Cleary (knee) 55 Niklas Kronwall ("A") – 2 Brendan Smith 27 Kyle Quincey – 65 Dan DeKeyser 23 Brian Lashoffl – 4 Jakub Kind X: 55 Jonathan Ericsson (finger) 35 Jimmy Howard 50 Jonas Gustavsson Lineup News & Notes Detroit scratched F Daniel Alfredsson, F Pavel Datsyuk, D Jonathan Ericsson, and F Daniel Cleary in Wednesday's 3-2 win vs Boston. F Mikael Samuelsson (shoulder), F Henrik Zetterberg (back), and F Stephen Weiss (sports hernia) are on IR. Weekly Transactions None According to the Stats In the Last 10 Games Detroit has gone 6-3-1. Gustav Nyquist has a three-game goal streak after a six-game streak ended with 12 goals in that span. Tomas Tatar has four two-point games in the past six. David Legwand has three points in the past two games. Jimmy Howard has a .935 save percentage winning his past two starts. PREGAME LINKS 04/04 – GAME RECAP: SABRES PUT IN STRONG EFFORT AGAINST LEAGUE'S BEST (Chris Ryndak – Sabres.com) 04/02 – GAME RECAP: Nyquist's third-period goal lifts Red Wings past Bruins (MiHockeyNow.com) 04/04 – GAME PREVIEW: Datsyuk set to return for Red Wings vs. Sabres (Mike Battaglino – NHL.com) 04/03 – NEWS: He's back! Datsyuk to return Friday (Bill Roose – DetroitRedWings.com) 04/04 – Game Preview: 4/4/14 at Detroit Red Wings (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/04 – Sabres at Red Wings Game Notes PDF (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/04 – Press Clips: 4/4/14 at Detroit Red Wings (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/04 – SABRES RECALL LUKE ADAM (Ian Ott – Sabres PR) 04/04 – Detroit Red Wings Game Day Blog (DetroitRedWings.com) 04/04 – GameDay Preview - Buffalo: Detroit Red Wings v. Buffalo Sabres April 4th, 2014 - Joe Louis Arena. <3:40> 04/04 – Ted Nolan speaks with the media prior to Friday night's game against the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. <5:30> 04/04 – Luke Adam speaks with the media prior to Friday night's game against the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. <3:10> POSTGAME LINKS 04/04 – NHL POST-GAME NEWSLETTER: Buffalo Sabres @ Detroit Red Wings (NHL.com) 04/05 – GAME RECAP: SABRES UNABLE TO COMPLETE RALLY IN DETROIT (Chris Ryndak – Sabres.com) 04/04 – Brian Duff recaps the Sabres 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. <3:25> 04/04 – Ted Nolan speaks with the media following the Sabres 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. <3:10> 04/04 – Jamie McBain speaks with the media following the Sabres 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. <1:14> 04/04 – Matt Hackett speaks with the media following the Sabres 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. <1:51> 04/04 – Nicolas Deslauriers speaks with the media following the Sabres 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. <2:06> 04/04 – Chad Ruhwedel speaks with the Brian Duff following the Sabres 3-2 loss to the Red Wings. <2:00>

In Detroit for the final game prior to the holiday break. It's a glimpse of the future as the injury depleted Sabres will be without Moulson, Myers, Gionta and Foligno tonight. Myers out week to week. Foligno possibly months. Kaleta flew to Detroit and should play tonight Armia gets the call up for his NHL Debut

Here we are, trying to start a winning streak, and no one wants to start the GDT?

Let's go Buffalo!

Just win baby

So, the little round-robin tourney between Calgary, Detroit and Buffalo continues. Sunday, Calgary beat the Red Wings, pushing Detroit's current losing streak to 4. Monday, the Sabres defeated the Flames. So if we can beat the Flames, and the Flames can beat the Wings, it's only logical that we should beat the Wings. Let's hope logic holds and the Sabres can defeat the Red Wings, who are on the back end of their dynasty. The Buffalo lineup I'm showing is the same as Monday's. If ROR is ready to go, look for him to slot into Larsson's 1st line center spot and Larsson to drop down to the second or third line, making COR the odd man out. On the Detroy-it side, look for old friends Thomas Vanek (in just his second game back after missing 11 with a LBI) and Steve Ott. The Wings have been struggling mightily this year to fill the void left by Pavel Datsyuk's departure. The conveyor belt of Eurotrash has finally dried up and the Wings just aren't the team they used to be. Goalie-wise, the Wings have split the goaltending duties pretty evenly. Jimmy Howard with a miserly 1.85 GAA and a miserable 4-5 record played the last game, so maybe they'll play Petr Mrazek (3.16 GAA, .904 SV%) tonight. If that's the case, the key to the game looks like it will be shoot early and shoot often. Correction to Sabres lines (ROR is back!) Lehner: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS." GO SABRES.

My pappy always said, "When ya gotta dog down, step on his head."* This is what the Sabres need to do to the Red Wings who are coming off a 7-2 drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday. The Wings are in freefall. They are currently on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs go, with their 24-year playoff streak in jeopardy. They will come in playing desperate hockey, leveraging studs Justin Abdelkader, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, and hoping the infusion of new blood in Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou will be enough to get them into the postseason. The bad news is that both of their goalies got pasted on Saturday; Mrazek allowed 4 goals on 27 shots (.852) and Howard allowing 3 goals on 14 shots (.786). The dynasty appears all but dead, and it's up to the Sabres to show them what an up-and-coming dynasty looks like. The Sabres need to pressure their shaky defense and it will crack. Although they still have some fast players, by and large the Red Wings' legs are feeling their age and no amount of experience will help them if the Sabres push on them and push hard. The Wings good luck charm for the game is Gordie Howe himself; it's been reported that despite fragile health, he will be in attendance at the game. Look for Chad "The Big" Johnson to start for the Sabres. I would expect Mrazek in goal for the Wings, but after Satruday's meltdown, who knows? *My pappy never said that, but I wanted to start the thread like that.