The Columbus Blue Jackets visit KeyBank Center for the first of two meetings this season.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in KeyBank Arena tonight to play the Buffalo Sabres. This will be the first of two meetings at KeyBank this season.
For once, the Jackets don't play a team that are Stanley Cup contenders. But don't let the buffalo Sabres fool you, because they've been playing well. Although they split a weekend series with the Maple Leafs last weekend, they've won 4 of 6 and currently sit 5th in the Atlantic with 9 points and are just two points out of 3rd.
As of today, the Sabres' numbers are mid-pack in everything except the penalty kill. The Sabres are a mind-boggling 93.3% on the PK through nine games. So, this game will feature the #1 PK vs. the 27th PP. Tonight is going to go bad for the special teams of someone.
The Jackets are coming off a big win in Pittsburgh and look to string together some wins. This is the first of a back-to-back, as the Jackets will welcome Toronto into NWA tomorrow night.
The Blue Jackets currently sit 7th in the Metro, 13th in the East, and 25th in the league.
Blue Jackets Stats
- Power Play - 15% - 27th in NHL
- Penalty Kill - 60.7% - 32nd in NHL
- Goals For - 24 - 29th in NHL
- Goals Against - 25 - 12th in NHL
Sabres Stats
- Power Play - 23.3% - 11th in NHL
- Penalty Kill - 93.9% - 1st in NHL
- Goals For - 27 - 19th in NHL
- Goals Against - 27 - 15th in NHL
Series History vs. Sabres
- Columbus is 27-16-1-3, and 14-8-0-3 all-time on the road
- The CBJ are 9-4-3 in the last 16 games against Buffalo.
- The Blue Jackets have killed off all 9 Sabre power plays in the last 8 games.
- Columbus went 2-1 against Buffalo last season.
Who To Watch For The Sabres
- Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 4 goals and 8 points. He also has 17 points in 13 games against the CBJ.
- Zach Benson leads Buffalo with 7 assists.
- Goalie Alex Lyon is 3-4 with a .923 SV%. His last start was against Toronto last Friday.
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is 1-0-0 with a .898 SV%. UPL last played against Toronto last Saturday.
CBJ Player Notes vs. Sabres
- Sean Monahan has 23 points in 24 career games vs. Buffalo.
- Boone Jenner has 14 points in 24 games.
- Zach Werenski has 15 points in 19 games against Buffalo.
Injuries - None on IR
- Miles Wood - 5 Games Missed - Eye Injury - Skating and travelling
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 9
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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