I Was Wrong
December 3, 2010Daniel Gibson Attempts to Clear the Air on LeBron-Bench Chatter
December 3, 2010Columbus Blue Jackets (14-8-1, 29pts) vs.
Buffalo Sabres (9-13-3, 21pts)
HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
Friday, December 3, 2010
7:30 PM EST
TV: FSNOH-HD / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM
(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
The Jackets are back on the road for a quick one-game stop in Buffalo before returning to Columbus tomorrow for a bit matchup with the Penguins. The Sabres are struggling in the standings, but goalie Ryan Miller is capable of frustrating any offense at any time, though he hasn’t quite been himself since the Olympics. The Jackets look like the better team on paper, but after coming off a tough shoot-out loss to the Predators at home on Wednesday it remains to be seen where the psyche of this team is right now. The good news? The Jackets have played very well against teams from the east so far this year…even the good ones.
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets:
SC1: | Rick Nash | Derick Brassard | Jakub Voracek |
SC2: | Nikita Filatov | Antoine Vermette | RJ Umberger |
CK1: | Derek Dorsett | Sammy Pahlsson | Chris Clark |
CK2: | Andrew Murray | Derek MacKenzie | Jared Boll |
D1: | Jan Hejda | Anton Stralman | |
D2: | Rostislav Klesla | Fedor Tyutin | |
D3: | Kris Russell | Mike Commodore | |
G: | Steve Mason |
Buffalo Sabres:
SC1: | Nathan Gerbe | Derek Roy | Thomas Vanek |
SC2: | Drew Stafford | Luke Adam | Jason Pominville |
CK1: | Tyler Ennis | Jochen Hecht | Patrick Kaleta |
CK2: | Cody McCormick | Paul Gaustad | Mike Grier |
D1: | Andrej Sekera | Tyler Myers | |
D2: | Jordan Leopold | Steve Montador | |
D3: | Shaone Morrisonn | Mike Weber | |
G: | Ryan Miller |
Team Rankings
Scoring:
CBJ – 2.78 gpg (16th NHL)
BUF – 2.40 gpg (25th NHL)
Defense:
CBJ – 2.43 gapg (5th NHL)
BUF – 2.92 gapg (t21st NHL)
Power Play:
CBJ – 10.5% (28th NHL)
BUF – 13.4% (25th NHL)
Penalty Kill:
CBJ – 86.0% (7th NHL)
BUF – 81.6% (18th NHL)
Season Matchups
This is the first of two matchups on the season. The CBJ went 1-0-0 vs. the Sabres last season.
12/03/10 – Columbus @ Buffalo – 7:30 PM EST
04/09/11 – Buffalo @ Columbus – 7:00 PM EDT
Game Notes
The Jackets played well on Wednesday, but not for the entire game. They came from 2-1 down in the third period to take the lead, but then immediately gave it right back to Nashville. They had chances in overtime, but couldn’t close the deal and lost in the shootout.
Buffalo brings solid offensive-defensemen, but not much up front in terms of scoring. The Jackets have been generally solid on defense, though they are still missing Marc Methot, and it looks like they’ll be without Methot again. The Jackets’ PK has been very good of late, and the only advantage on paper for the Sabres is on the Power Play, so the PK is again going to be important for Columbus.
The Jackets’ PP still is confounding, though they essentially scored on the Power Play on Wednesday (one second after it expired), as Kris Russell finally had the light come on for himself this season. Otherwise, the PP was nothing to write home about, especially since two of their PPs were erased by penalties to Anton Stralman.
Steve Mason looks to get the start tonight for the fourth straight game. He’s been sharp, though there were a couple in the last two games that I think he’d like to have back. Overall, he’s looked more like his rookie self than his last year self. Here’s hoping that can continue tonight.
From The Outside Looking In
Die By the Blade
Sabre Noise
Sabres’ Edge
Next Game For The Jackets
Saturday, December 4, 2010
7:00 PM EST
Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets