Sabres Slashes: Weekly Preview 2/11/18-2/17/18

The Buffalo Sabres will look to keep playing the role of spoiler and try to win some games against teams that are in the playoff race.

They may have to play some games without their leading scorer, Jack Eichel, who was injured in last night's game against the Boston Bruins. Eichel went to stop, lost his footing and went awkwardly into the boards. He left the game and did not return.

The Sabres have a busy week and will play four games in seven days. They'll start off the week against the Colorado Avalanche, who are battling for a playoff spot, but have been struggling lately. The Tampa Bay Lightning then come to town and that will be a tough game. The Sabres will then go to Ottawa to take on the Senators, who have been struggling all season long. Buffalo ends the week back at home to face the Los Angeles Kings.

Buffalo starts the week off against a struggling Avalanche. The Sabres are coming off of a big win against the Bruins, and need to ride the momentum of that win into this game. Buffalo could be without Jack Eichel, who was injured last night. The Sabres will want to get off to a fast start and try to get the first goal of the game. Buffalo needs to win the battle at even strength since the Avs penalty kill is one of the best in the League. The Sabres are going to need someone to step up if Eichel is out and that someone could be Ryan O'Reilly.

The Avalanche should take advantage of a weak penalty kill of the Sabres. Colorado needs to get the first goal of the game and have the lead entering the final period of the game. The Avs want to spend some time in the offensive zone so they should get the forechecking and cycling game early in the game. The Avalanche will want to keep an eye on Sam Reinhart and Evander Kane since they can really skate and put the puck in the net.

The Sabres will have to play their best game of the season if they want to take two points away from the Lightning. Buffalo needs to stop the balanced lineup of the Bolts, which includes Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman, by playing in the offensive zone. The Sabres will likely need the goaltender to have a spectacular game and steal the game for them. Buffalo should play with some discipline since they have one of the worst penalty kills in the League, while the Bolts have one of the  best power plays in the League. The Sabres need to use their speed to draw penalties, and take advantage of a weak penalty kill of Tampa Bay.

The Bolts will want to have a good start to the game and not play down to their opponent. The Lightning need to play their game and attack in the offensive zone. Tampa Bay should play with some discipline because the penalty kill is the one weak area of this team. The Bolts should try to force some turnovers for quality scoring chances. Tampa Bay is going to need to be aware of Rasmus Ristolainen when he is on the ice since he has started to pile up the points from the blue line. 

Buffalo will visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. The Sabres need to keep an eye on Mark Stone and Erik Karlsson when they are on the ice since the are two of the leading scorers for the Sens. Buffalo needs to set the tone early to take the home crowd out of the game. They'll need to get the forecheck and cycle game going early and often. The Sabres want to get off to a better start since they have been outscored by a wide margin in first period of games. Buffalo needs the goaltending to come up big since the Senators have some speed.

The Senators will need to play a 60 minute game, which has been difficult for the to do this season. Ottawa needs to win the battle at even strength since the Sabres have not been good in this area. The Sens will need to play with discipline since they don't have the best penalty kill in the League. The Senators will need to be aware of when Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart are on the ice since they both can produce. Ottawa wants to get the first goal of the game and build off of it.

The Sabres end their week with a visit from the Los Angeles Kings. Buffalo needs to get what they early in the game because the Kings tend to get better defensively as the game goes on. The Sabres need to get the first goal of the game and keep attacking. Buffalo will want to find a way to stop the top six forwards of the Kings, which include Anze Kopitar and Tanner Pearson. The Sabres need to find a way to force turnovers and take advantage of mistakes that the Kings make. 

The Kings need to get off to a better start and not give up too many goals in the first period. Los Angeles will want to find a way to get their power play going against one of the worst penalty kills in the League. The Kings need to keep an eye on Evander Kane when he is on the ice for the Sabres since he is one of the leading producers on the team. Los Angeles needs to win the battle at even strength and play a smart game by not making mistakes and turning the puck over.