BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 73)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Jack Quinn (Achilles, Oct. 12; injured reserve) – 23 games
Tage Thompson (upper body, Nov. 17; injured reserve) – 7 games
Zemgus Girgensons (lower body, Nov. 25; injured reserve) – 3 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
11/29: Recalled forward Brandon Biro from Rochester (AHL); Loaned forward Jiri Kulich to Rochester (AHL)
11/28: Loaned goaltender Devon Levi to Rochester (AHL)
SABRES at HURRICANES
• This is the second of three meetings between the Sabres and Hurricanes this season. • Next meeting: Sunday, Feb. 25 in Buffalo. • Last meeting: Carolina defeated Buffalo 3-2 (OT) in Carolina on Nov. 7. • The Sabres are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games against the Hurricanes; 1-7-2 on the road. • This is the 213th game all-time between Buffalo and Carolina; Buffalo has a 104-79-29 series record. • The Sabres are 44-45-18 on the road against the Hurricanes all-time.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Buffalo has earned at least one point in each of its last two games (1-0-1) against Carolina and a point in tonight’s game would give the team its first point streak of three or more games against the Hurricanes since the Sabres earned at least one point in five consecutive games against the Hurricanes from April 6, 2015 to Dec. 17, 2016 (4-0-1). • Kyle Okposo has tallied a point in four straight games and a point in tonight’s game would give him a five-game point streak for the first time since he recorded a point in six straight games from Nov. 24 to Dec. 4, 2021. • Okposo needs one point to reach 600 in his NHL career. • Jeff Skinner has recorded four points (2+2) in his last four games. • A goal in tonight’s game would give Skinner 140 goals with Buffalo in his career and sole possession of 19th place on Buffalo’s all-time goals list, surpassing Jack Eichel. • An assist in tonight’s game would give Skinner 300 assists in his career. • JJ Peterka has registered 16 points (8+8) in his last 16 games, including at least one point in seven of his last eight games. • Peterka has tallied a goal in back-to-back games and a goal in tonight’s game would give him his first goal streak of three or more games in his career. • Alex Tuch has tallied 15 points (8+7) in his last 14 games, including five points (3+2) in his last four games. • If he plays tonight, tonight’s game will mark the 400th of Tuch’s NHL career. • Rasmus Dahlin has notched nine points (2+7) in his last seven games. • Casey Mittelstadt has notched eight points (1+7) in his last eight games. • Victor Olofsson has recorded eight points (2+6) in his last eight games, including six assists in his last five. • Owen Power has notched three points (0+3) in his last three games.
BACK-TO-BACK
• Tonight’s game opens Buffalo’s fifth of 12 back-to-back sets in 2023-24, which concludes with a home contest against the Nashville Predators tomorrow night. The Sabres are 2-2-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 2-2-0 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in back-to-back sets this season is: four points (0), three points (0), two points (4), one point (0) and zero points (0).
ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded six points (3+3) in his last six games against Carolina. • Alex Tuch has tallied five points (3+2) in his last five games against the Hurricanes, including one point in each of the last three. • A point in tonight’s game would make Tuch the first Sabres skater to record a point in at least one point in four consecutive games against Carolina since Victor Olofsson recorded at least one point in five consecutive games against the Hurricanes from Nov. 14, 2019 to Nov. 4, 2022. • In 11 games against Carolina in his career, Jeff Skinner has registered 12 points (6+6). • As a member of the Hurricanes, Skinner appeared in 579 games and recorded 379 points (204+175) in that span. • Casey Mittelstadt has notched three points (2+1) in his last two games against Carolina, including at least one point in each. • In his only appearance against Carolina in his career, Eric Comrie made 42 saves on 45 shots as a member of the Winnipeg Jets on April 21, 2022.
CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:
INJURY REPORT
Frederik Andersen, blood clotting, missed 10 games (11/7-11/30)
2023-24 Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 32
HURRICANES vs. SABRES SERIES NOTES
— Carolina is facing Buffalo in the second of three meetings between the teams during the 2023-24 season. The Hurricanes will travel to KeyBank Center on 2/25. — The Hurricanes and Sabres are meeting for the 213th time in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds a 90-98-18-6 overall record, including a 52-42-11-2 home record and a 44-34-2-6 record since relocation. — Carolina leads the season series 1-0-0 in 2023-24 (Buffalo: 0-0-1), and the Hurricanes are 15-2-0 in their last 17 matchups with Buffalo dating back to 2016-17. — The Hurricanes posted a 3-2 overtime win against the Sabres at PNC Arena on 11/7. Sebastian Aho (2a) and Brady Skjei (1g, 1a) each posted two points, including both assists on Martin Necas’ ninth career overtime winner. Tony DeAngelo also scored for Carolina, while Antti Raanta stopped 19 of 21 shots faced in net. — Sebastian Aho has tallied 26 points (13g, 13a) in 17 career regular-season games against the Sabres, marking the highest points per game against Buffalo of any active skater with at least six games played in that matchup. — Seth Jarvis has earned six points (1g, 5a) in seven career regular-season games against the Sabres. — Martin Necas has posted seven points (3g, 4a) in eight career regular-season games against Buffalo. — Andrei Svechnikov has registered 11 points (2g, 9a) in nine career regular-season games against the Sabres. — Teuvo Teravainen has recorded 20 points (6g, 14a) in 20 career regular-season games against Buffalo. — Jack Drury’s uncle, Chris, registered 189 points (85g, 104a) in 234 games with the Sabres from 2003-07 and served as one of the team’s captains in each of his three seasons in Buffalo. — Brendan Lemieux was selected by the Sabres in the second round (31st overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, but he was traded to WPG before appearing in a game with the team. — Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams skated in 300 games with the Hurricanes from 2002-07, posting 72 points (38g, 34a) and helping the franchise capture its first Stanley Cup in 2006. Acquired from FLA along with Bret Hedican and Tomas Malec for Sandis Ozolinsh and Byron Ritchie on 1/16/02, Adams was traded to PHX for Dennis Seidenberg on 1/8/07. — Buffalo Assistant Coach Mike Bales spent two seasons as Carolina’s goaltending coach from 2017-19. — Jeff Skinner tallied 379 points (204g, 175a) in 579 career games with Carolina from 2010-18, and he ranks third in goals, fifth in points and seventh in games played in team history (since relocation). Skinner was drafted seventh overall by Carolina in the 2010 NHL Draft and won the Calder Trophy in 2010-11 after posting 63 points (31g, 32a) in 82 games during his rookie season. He was traded to Buffalo in exchange for Cliff Pu, a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft (Pyotr Kochetkov), a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft (Alexander Nikishin) and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft (Yauheni Aksiantsiuk) on 8/2/18.
EXTRA! EXTRA!
The Hurricanes are facing the Islanders and Sabres in back-to-back games for the second time in 2023-24. After posting consecutive overtime wins against those two teams from 11/4-11/7, Carolina suffered its first overtime loss of the season vs. NYI (11/30). The loss snapped the team’s streak of 10 straight wins in games decided in overtime (12/17/22-11/7/23), which was tied with WSH (3/1/11-12/3/11) for the second-longest such streak in NHL history (VGK: 14-0 from 1/4/20-10/27/21). Either Martin Necas (6) or Sebastian Aho (3) has scored nine of the Hurricanes’ last 10 overtime goals (12/17/22-11/7/23), including each of their last eight (1/25/23-11/7/23), and they have both also factored on all three of Carolina’s overtime winners this season. Aho has recorded a franchise-record 19 career overtime points (10g, 9a), while Necas’ 15 overtime points (9g, 6a) rank tied for the second-most of any Whalers/Hurricanes skater (also Jeff O’Neill, 1995-04: 6-9—15; Eric Staal, 2003-16: 3-12—15).
BACK TO DECEMBER
After suffering its first overtime loss of the season vs. NYI (11/30), Carolina has earned a 13-8-1 record through 22 games in 2023-24. The Hurricanes’ 13 wins are two more than they posted through 22 contests last season, and their 27 points have matched their pace from 2022-23 (10/12/22-11/26/22: 13-8-1). Last December, Carolina earned a 12-0-1 record, including a 10-game win streak from 12/10- 12/30. The Hurricanes led the NHL in wins (12), points (25), points percentage (.962), goals against per game (2.08) and shots against per game (26.4) that month, led in scoring by Brent Burns (1-11—12), Jordan Staal (6-5—11), Jordan Martinook (5-5—10) and Martin Necas (4-6—10). Carolina has posted a 31-14-3 record in December during Rod Brind’Amour’s head coaching tenure, with a 19-2-1 record in those contests since 2021-22.
SHOOTERS SHOOT
The Hurricanes outshot the Islanders 43-16 on Thursday, leading in that category for the eighth straight game (11/11-11/30). Carolina’s +27 shot differential marked a new season high, and the team has now posted a shot differential of +20 or higher five times in 2023-24 (also 10/17 at SJS: +26, 11/4 at NYI: +21, 10/27 vs. SJS: +20, 11/26 vs. CBJ: +20). The Hurricanes have allowed 25 or fewer shots in eight of their last 11 games (11/4-11/28), and their 24.9 shots against per game is a league low. They have also posted 43 shots in two of their last three games (also 11/26 vs. CBJ), and they lead the NHL with seven 40-shot games this season (EDM: 6), earning a 6-0-1 record in those contests. Carolina’s league-leading, +9.2 average shot differential would mark the highest in any campaign in franchise history (2022-23: +8.8).
