Here’s what you need to know before the Sabres take on the Sharks.
By Chris Ryndak / Sabres.com
The Sabres are in San Jose tonight for a 10:30 p.m. ET faceoff at the Shark Tank. We’ll have full morning skate coverage for you here.
The GMC Game Night pregame show starts at 10 p.m. on MSG. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call on MSG and on WGR 550.
Here’s what you need to know.
Tonight’s matchup
Tonight’s game is the third game of a 5-game Pacific Division road trip that continues on Saturday at Los Angeles.
After San Jose came away with a pair of 3-2 wins last October, the Sabres are looking to avoid losing 4 straight games to the Sharks after having gone 10-0-1 in the previous 11 matchups between the teams.
Carter Hutton is 4-1-1 in his career against the Sharks, with a .955 save percentage and a 1.32 goals-against average.
Kyle Okposo has 14 points (5+9) in 12 career games against San Jose.
Jack Eichel has 6 points (1+5) in 6 career games against the Sharks, including at least a point in each of his last 4.
Vladimir Sobotka has 8 points (3+5) in his last 8 games against San Jose.
Jason Pominville has points (3+2) in each of his last 4 games against San Jose.
Conor Sheary has 3 points (1+2) in 3 career games against the Sharks.
Wednesday’s practice
From the Ice Level Practice Report…
Kyle Okposo burst into the offensive zone as if he had been shot out of cannon. With the Buffalo Sabres trailing 2-0 in the second period against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, their alternate captain took it upon himself to set the tone and turned in the shift of the night.
Okposo sped through the neutral zone and chipped the puck in deep, then rushed past Cody Eakin and Brad Hunt to secure it along the end boards. He maintained possession as he swung behind the net and cut to the slot, where he created a scoring chance for linemate Casey Mittelstadt.
When Mittelstadt’s shot went wide, Okposo was again the first to retrieve it behind the net, this timing proceeding to carry it all the way to the blue line for a cycle with defenseman Jake McCabe, which nearly created another scoring chance.
“I think we just needed a shift,” Okposo said. “I tried to take it upon myself to score a goal. I thought I gave us a little life, I thought we had some good shifts after that. We’ve just got to do that more, just try and take control and not think so much. Just play.”
The Sabres lost the game, 4-1, but Okposo’s play might mean as much in the big picture. The images on that second-period shift and others throughout the game were reminiscent of his first season in Buffalo, one that earned him a spot on the Atlantic Division All-Star team prior to a season-ending concussion.
The effects of that concussion bled into the summer, preventing the forward from crucial aspects of his offseason regiment that affected him throughout last season. Okposo entered camp this year with a full summer of training under his belt and the desire to prove he can still be elite.
Six games in, he said he can feel the difference.
“I feel good,” he said. “I mean, I feel exponentially better than I did last season. I think it’s there. It’s just getting over that hump and breaking through. I think that it’s coming. I just have to try and up the intensity and make sure I’m bringing it every shift. But that base is there.