BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:
CURRENT INJURIES
– (Man Games Lost: 34) Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Jack Quinn (Achilles, Oct. 13; injured reserve) – 12 games
Eric Comrie (lower body, Oct. 29; injured reserve) – 4 games
Zach Benson (lower body, Nov. 1; injured reserve) – 3 games
Brandon Biro (undisclosed, Nov. 4; injured reserve) – 1 game
Mattias Samuelsson (lower body, Nov. 4; injured reserve) – 1 game
Dylan Cozens (upper body, Nov. 4) – 1 game
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
11/6: Recalled forward Matt Savoie from his conditioning loan with Rochester (AHL); Placed forward Brandon Biro on injured reserve
TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at HURRICANES
• This is the first of three meetings between the Sabres and Hurricanes this season. • Next meeting: Saturday, Dec. 2 in Carolina. • Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Carolina 4-3 in Buffalo on April 8, 2023. • The Sabres are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games against the Hurricanes; 1-8-1 on the road. • This is the 212th game all-time between Buffalo and Carolina; Buffalo has a 104-79-28 series record. • The Sabres are 44-45-17 on the road against the Hurricanes all-time.
SHIRTS VS. SKINS
• Jeff Skinner has tallied 11 points (6+5) in Buffalo’s first 12 games and he is tied with Casey Mittelstadt (3+8) for the team lead in points. • In 10 career games against the Hurricanes, Skinner has tallied 12 points (6+6), including a two-point (0+2) effort in his last game against Carolina on April 8, 2023. • Since his first NHL season in 2010-11, Skinner has recorded the sixth-most even-strength goals (271) and the ninth-most goals (339) among all NHL skaters. • Among the top 20 goal scorers in that span, Skinner has recorded the fewest power-play goals (68). • Since joining the Sabres in 2018-19, Skinner leads all Buffalo skaters in goals (135) and even-strength goals (112) and is tied with Victor Olofsson for the most game-winning goals (15). • With his next even-strength goal, Skinner will move into a tie with Phil Housley for the 14th-most even-strength goals in Sabres history (113).
CAROLINA HURRICANES NOTES:
INJURY REPORT
Frederik Andersen, blood clotting, out indefinitely
Brett Pesce, lower-body, missed seven games (10/21-11/4)
2023-24 Man-Games Lost Due to Injury: 20
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 6 Recalled Pyotr Kochetkov from Syracuse (AHL) and placed Frederik Andersen on injured reserve Signed Jaroslav Halak to a professional tryout (PTO) contract
HURRICANES vs. SABRES SERIES NOTES
— Carolina is facing Buffalo in the first of three meetings between the teams during the 2023-24 season. The Sabres will return to PNC Arena on 12/2, and the Hurricanes will travel to KeyBank Center on 2/25. — The Hurricanes and Sabres are meeting for the 212th time in their regular-season histories. Carolina holds an 89-98-18-6 overall record, including a 51-42-11-2 home record and a 43-34-2-6 record since relocation. — Carolina won the season series 2-1-0 in 2022-23 (Buffalo: 1-2-0), and the Hurricanes are 14-2-0 in their last 16 matchups with Buffalo dating back to 2016-17. — The Hurricanes earned a 5-3 win over the Sabres at PNC Arena on 11/4/22. Sebastian Aho (3g, 1a) scored his first hat trick of the season, and Martin Necas added three points (1g, 2a) as Antti Raanta made 22 saves in net. — Carolina posted a 5-1 win over Buffalo at KeyBank Center on 2/1/23. Jalen Chatfield (2a), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (2a) and Stefan Noesen (1g, 1a) each tallied two points, and Sebastian Aho, Brent Burns, Jordan Martinook and Derek Stepan also lit the lamp for the Hurricanes. Antti Raanta stopped 29 of 30 shots faced in net. — The Hurricanes suffered a 4-3 loss against the Sabres at KeyBank Center on 4/8/23. Sebastian Aho, Jesper Fast and Seth Jarvis scored for Carolina, while Antti Raanta made 26 saves in net. — Sebastian Aho has tallied 24 points (13g, 11a) in 16 career regular-season games against the Sabres, tied for the highest points per game of any active skater with at least five games played against Buffalo. — Seth Jarvis has earned six points (1g, 5a) in six career regular-season games against the Sabres. — Martin Necas has posted six points (2g, 4a) in seven career regular-season games against Buffalo. — Andrei Svechnikov has registered 11 points (2g, 9a) in eight career regular-season games against the Sabres. — Teuvo Teravainen has recorded 20 points (6g, 14a) in 19 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 CREDIT
With their comeback win against the Islanders on Saturday, the Hurricanes have now won each of their last nine games decided in overtime (12/17-22-11/4/23, not including games decided in shootouts). Carolina’s streak is the longest such streak in franchise history (previous: 5 GP from 1/21/08-10/11/08), the NHL’s longest active such streak and tied for the third-longest such streak in NHL history. Sebastian Aho scored the overtime winner with an assist from Martin Necas, who scored the team’s only other overtime goal this season (10/26 vs. SEA). Aho and Necas have now scored eight of Carolina’s last nine overtime goals (12/17/22-11/4/23), including each of the team’s last seven (1/25/23-11/4/23), and they rank first and fourth, respectively, in overtime points among all Whalers/Hurricanes skaters.
CARDIAC CANES
Carolina earned a 4-3 overtime win against NYI on Saturday after trailing 3-0 in the second period. Jalen Chatfield, Dmitry Orlov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored to force overtime before Sebastian Aho scored the team’s fourth unanswered goal to seal the victory in the extra frame. Carolina has posted three comeback wins in its last five games (10/26-11/4), after trailing 2-0 in the first period vs. SEA (10/26) and 2-1 in the second period at PHI (10/30). The Hurricanes’ five total comeback wins this season (also 10/11 vs. OTT, 10/17 at SJS) trail only NJD (6) for the league lead, and they also trail only ANA (5) for the most third-period comeback wins (3) after setting a franchise record with 10 such victories in 2022-23.
