By Jourdon LaBarber / Sabres.com
Well, that’s going to be a tough act to follow.
The Sabres put forth their best offensive output in nearly a decade on Saturday in a 9-2 over the Ottawa Senators. Jason Pominville scored two goals and added an assist after being honored for his 1,000th NHL game during a pregame ceremony.
Buffalo last scored nine goals in a game in a 10-2 win at Edmonton on Jan. 27, 2009. Pominville tallied two assists in that victory.
They’re right back at it tonight with a game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m. with the GMC Game Night pregame show. You can also listen live on WGR 550, with puck drop set for 7.
Here’s what you need to know.
About Saturday
There was a lot going on, perhaps even moreso than your average nine-goal game. We have it all – including highlights of all nine goals – in our Lexus Postgame Report.
The trio of Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel and Pominville remained the NHL’s hottest line with a combined nine points. That’s not hyperbole, either – Skinner (14 points), Pominville (13) and Eichel (12) lead the league in scoring since being put together in Los Angeles on Oct. 20.
From the aforementioned postgame report:
“I think we’ve just been getting more and more familiar with each other every day. The two of them are really good around the net,” Eichel said. “I think I’m more of a distribute-first guy, and I think it’s just been working out, the three of us together. When we’re taking care of the puck and we’re getting it in and we’re playing in their end and cycling it, I think we’ve had a lot of success.”
“A lot of success” might be an understatement. Take a look at these individual notes from Sabres PR regarding the NHL’s hottest line:
• Skinner has scored 30 goals in three separate seasons during an eight-year career, but he’s never had a 10-game stretch as productive as the 15-point run he’s on now. His plus-12 rating leads the NHL alongside Nashville’s Filip Forsberg.
• Pominville is now performing at a point-per-game pace this season. He has points seven straight games, which is his longest streak since March 2013.
• Eichel leads the Sabres with 17 points in 14 games. That’s a 99-point pace.
The scary part? Skinner said afterward there’s still room to improve.
#Pommer1000
Pominville was joined by his family, teammates, and Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula for a special presentation prior to the game.
Messages from Pominville’s family and current teammates aired throughout the game, along with Sabres alumni Ryan Miller, Daniel Briere, Thomas Vanek and many more.
Tonight’s matchup
The Sabres won their first meeting with the Rangers in Buffalo back on Oct. 6, their first victory of the season. Sheary scored twice in that game and Eichel added an empty-net goal.
The Rangers are 5-7-1 this season, 3-3-1 at home. They’re coming off two straight wins, including a shootout victory in Anaheim on Thursday. Mike Zibanejad (5+5) and Mats Zuccarello (3+7) lead the team with 10 points each.
Here are more notes on tonight’s game from Sabres PR:
• Jack Eichel enters tonight’s game on a four-game point streak (1+7). Eichel also has points in each of his last four road games, totaling eight assists in those games.
• Carter Hutton is 4-0-0 in his career against New York, boasting a .960 save percentage and a 1.35 goals-against average in those games.
• Kyle Okposo has totaled 20 points (5+15) in his last 18 games against the Rangers, including five points (1+4) in four games against New York since the beginning of last season.
• A point tonight would give Jason Pominville points in eight straight contests for the first time since March 17 to April 3, 2009, when he posted 13 points (3+10) in eight games.