Sabres Slashes: Weekly Preview 10/8/17-10/14/17

The Buffalo Sabres are looking for its first win of the season, and it is a tough week ahead for the team, who has been struggling both offensively and defensively. 

It has only been two games, but the Sabres have looked like the same old Sabres. The team is going to need an adjustment period, but they need to get better in every aspect of the game. The New Jersey Devils come to town to take on the Sabres on Monday afternoon. Buffalo will then make its way to the West Coast, where they will take on the San Jose Sharks on Thursday and the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The best chance to get its first win of the season for the Sabres is against the Sharks, who have been struggling in every phase of the game. 

The Devils will visit the KeyBank Center on Monday afternoon. The Sabres are going to need to avoid turnovers and be smart with the puck. The Devils had 15 takeaways in its first game against the Colorado Avalanche. Buffalo will need to keep an eye on the defense joining the play in the offensive zone especially Will Butcher since he had three assists in his first NHL game. The Sabres need to get a forecheck going early, get off to a good start and be sure that they get plenty of traffic in front of the goalie. Buffalo should keep an eye on Marcus Johansson since he has nine goals, six assists and 15 points in 22 games played against the Sabres in his career.

New Jersey is playing in its first road game of the year, and they'll need to put in a good effort defensively. The Devils need to be sure to get shots on goal as they'll either be facing Robin Lehner (off to a not-so-great start) or Chad Johnson (first action of the season). New Jersey needs to win the special teams battle since they have zero even strength goals. The battle of the penalty kill should be an interesting one as the Devils have one shorthanded goal and the Sabres have two shorthanded goals, both scored by Evander Kane. New Jersey needs to get its top line going, and they'll have to keep an eye on Kyle Okposo (41 gp, 8 goals, 14 assists & 22 points) and Matt Moulson (37 gp, 10 goals, 5 assists, 15 points). 

Buffalo will then have the next two days off to travel to the West Coast, where they will take on the Sharks on Thursday night. The Sabres should use its speed to create so they can get plenty of shots on goal. It would be nice if the Sabres could take the lead going into the third period since the Sharks have yet to mount a third period comeback in the young season. The forecheck should be established early in the game along with better play while at even strength. The Sabres will need to keep an eye on Paul Martin (37 gp, 3 goals, 13 assists, 16 points), Brent Burns (12 gp, 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points), Joe Thornton (51 gp, 8 goals, 30 assists, 38 points) since they all have decent career numbers against the Sabres.

This could be the game where Martin Jones puts it all together for the Sharks since in four games played in his career against Buffalo he is 2-1-1 with a .919 save percentage and 2.22 goals against average. Jones and Burns really need to get it together and fast if this Sharks team wants to compete in the Pacific Division. San Jose is going to have to play a discipline game because the Sharks are struggling on the penalty kill. The Sharks need to get the first goal of the game, and keep the energy throughout the game. San Jose needs to establish a good forecheck and pressure the Sabres into some turnovers.

The Sabres end its week in Los Angeles, where they'll take on the Kings. Buffalo is going to need to be aware of the Kings speed, because this isn't last year's team. The Sabres should shoot the puck on net when they have the chance especially if there is traffic in front of the goalie. They'll also want to have someone in the crease area looking for rebound chances since the goalies will give them up. The Sabres need to pay attention to the following Kings players: Jeff Carter (30 gp, 15 goals, 10 assists, 25 points), Anze Kopitar (13 gp, 5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points) and Mike Cammalleri (21 gp, 8 goals, 9 assists, 17 points). Jonathan Quick has amazing numbers against the Sabres in his career including a 5-1-0 record, .944 save percentage and 1.22 GAA in 8 games played. 

Los Angeles is going to need to use its speed and get pucks on net. The Kings haven't has many power play opportunities this year so if they use their speed to draw penalties, they'd have some time to try to get its power play going. Los Angeles is going to have to keep its eye on Evander Kane, who has looked good early in the season especially on the penalty kill. Jason Pominville has four goals, 11 assists and 15 points in 18 career games against the Kings. 

3 Things: Stars vs. Blues

The Dallas Stars look to bounce back from its first loss of the season last night against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Blues have had the last two days off after opening the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a win. 

Here are three things to look for in tonight's game:

1.) Bouce Back- Stars

The Stars are looking to bounce back from a loss in its home opener last night where goaltender Ben Bishop was pulled in favor of Kari Lehtonen. Dallas will need to get better goaltending from Lehtonen, who is 13-6-3 with a 2.18 goals against average and .921 save percentage against St. Louis in his career. The Stars are going to need to stay out of the penalty box because they took seven penalties last night. The team defense needs to be better and get some sustained offensive pressure. Dallas did get 46 shots on goal last night, but Marc-Andre Fleury managed to only let one of those shots get by him.

2.) Fast Start- Blues

The Blues need to get off to a fast start especially since the Stars played last night and then had to travel to St. Louis afterwards. Dallas will be looking to get off to a good start since they lost last night and don't want to lose back-to-back games. St. Louis needs to get in on the forecheck and win puck battles along the boards. The Blues need to use the crowd to get off to the fast start, and get the first goal. St. Louis needs to get traffic to the front of the net to possibly get some deflections or just to make Lehtonen work to try and track the puck.

3.) Avoid the Penalty Box- Stars & Blues

Dallas found themselves taking way too many penalties last night, but Vegas just couldn't capitalize on the man advantage. If they repeat the parade to the penalty box then it could be trouble since St. Louis has a decent power play. The Blues will also want to avoid taking too many penalties because of all the talent that the Stars have on its power play unit. Both teams better hope that if there is a parade to the penalty box tonight that their goalies can come up large while down a man. 

3 Things: Lightning vs. Panthers

The Florida Panthers don't have to wait long to try to avenge last night's 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts and the Panthers will play again tonight, but this time it will be be Panthers home opener.

Here are three things to watch for:

1.) Get Off to a Fast Start- Lightning

The Lightning need to get off to a fast start tonight since they won't have the crowd behind them. If the Bolts can get the first goal then they need to build on the lead. They did this in last night's game, but then let a two-goal lead slip away before pulling away. Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point each had multiple point games. It would be nice to see Tyler Johnson get a confidence boost with a  goal or some points on the board tonight. Tampa Bay can get off to a fast start by spending some time in the offensive zone with a good forechecking and cycling game.

2.) Balanced Attack- Panthers

The Panthers are going to need each line to step up and get some offense pressure tonight. The defense did pitch in on all three goals for the Panthers last night and that is something that will have to continue tonight. The top line needs to get more offensive zone time and pressure. If the Panthers want to bring a balanced attack against the Lightning then they may want to get the power play clicking tonight. Florida had zero goals in four power play opportunities last night.

3.) Goaltending- Bolts & Panthers

The goaltending for both teams is going to have to come up big tonight. Vasilevskiy had a solid game for the Bolts last night and could start again tonight with two more huge divisional points on the line and the Bolts taking on the Capitals at home on Monday. James Reimer will likely get the start in goal for the Panthers since Roberto Luongo got the start last night. The two teams can score so whichever goalie can keep the puck out of the net has a shot to win the game. 

Shooting Stars: Weekly Preview 10/4/17-10/7/17

The Dallas Stars will kick off its season with a back-to-back set. They'll face the Vegas Golden Knights at home on Friday night and then take on the St. Louis Blues on the road on Saturday night.


If the Stars want to open the season with a win then they will need to feed off the crowd and get off to a fast start. They will need to get in on the forecheck and force the Golden Knights to turn the puck over. The Stars will need to establish an offensive zone attack and then keep taking it to Vegas. Dallas will have to use all four lines and get production from all of its lines. The biggest thing is that the Stars don't look past the Golden Knights and just expect the win. They will need to keep focus and not look ahead to the divisional matchup against the Blues on Saturday night.

The Golden Knights are going to have to have a sound road effort. The team will want to control the pace by getting in on the forecheck and pressuring the Dallas defense. The Golden Knights are also going to want to get a ton of traffic in front of Ben Bishop and get the goalie moving laterally. Vegas is going to want to stay out of the penalty box since the Stars have a pretty good power play. The Golden Knights are not a young team despite it being their first season in the NHL.

On Saturday night, the Stars travel to St. Louis for a big divisional game. It will only be the second game of the year for the Stars, but these points are big because the Central Division is going to be tight this year. Dallas is going to want to try to hold Vladimir Tarasenko off the board.  The Blues have a balanced attack so the Stars need to get off to a fast start and get some puck towards the net. They will also need to get some chances and spend some time in the offensive zone to keep the Blues offense off the board. Dallas is going to have to keep an eye on the defense of the Blues since they will get involved in the offense.

The Blues are going to have to find a way to deal with the balanced attack of the Stars, who have four lines that can produce. They will need to pressure the Stars defense to force some turnovers, which can lead to chances. St. Louis will need to stay out of the penalty box and play a disciplined game. The Blues need to get the first goal of the game to keep the crowd in the game.

Lightning Strikes: 2017-18 Season Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to get back to the postseason after missing out last year by one point.

In the offseason, they made some upgrades with the signings of Dan Girardi and Chris Kunitz. The Bolts also managed to re-sign its own restricted free agents to contacts. Tampa Bay made a splash when they traded forward Jonathan Drouin to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Sergachev was given every opportunity to make the team in the preseason, and that is exactly what he did.

The key to the Bolts rebounding this season is the goaltending. Andrei Vasilevskiy is the undisputed number one goaltender for the team this year. The biggest question is going to be will he be able to handle the pressure that is going to be on him to help lead this team back to the postseason. Vasilevskiy is going to need to be good this season because the defense will give up its chances against. The goalie will need to make the easy save and he has shown the ability to make the spectacular save. Peter Budaj will be in the back up role and he will need to be ready when he gets the call off the bench or to give Vasilevskiy a game off.

The x-factor to the Bolts season is going to be the health of Steven Stamkos. Yes, the Lightning are deep enough that they could battle and make the playoffs if Stamkos should get hurt, but there is no Drouin to help Kucherov pick up the slack this year. Stamkos has been hurt the past few seasons, and just needs to get through this one as healthy as he can. The center is an integral part of the offense especially the power play since he has a great shot that can beat any goalie.

The surprise player is going to be defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Sergachev made the team out of camp and preseason, and I think he is going to stick around for the entire season. He can move the puck and skate, which is something that the defense could use in the lineup. Sergachev is slated to be in the top four to start the season so Jon Cooper is giving him every chance to succeed, and he even is giving him power play time. I wouldn't be surprised if he is playing in all situations by the end of the season since he is a solid all around defenseman, who has a good hockey IQ.

Tyler Johnson needs a bounce back season after last season where he struggled to produce. He should bounce back since he is playing with Alex Killorn on a line. Johnson will also spend some time on the second power play unit. Yanni Gourde should have a break out season this year for the Bolts. He had six goals in the 20 games that he played with Tampa Bay last season. If he can play a full season on the third line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat plus get some time on the power play then there is a good chance that he scores at least 15 goals, maybe more. Jon Cooper is under pressure to lead this team back to the playoffs and go deep into the postseason.

The offense is a balanced one and has guys that can produce on every line. They have the talent and the ability to put the puck in the back of the net. Some of the kids may be a little on the younger side, but they have game experience from last year. Vladislav Namestnikov-Steven Stamkos- Nikita Kucherov could be a very dangerous top line since every one has the ability to score and dish the puck to his line mates. If the lines aren't producing then Cooper has the luxury of being able to switch some guys up since they have all played throughout the lineup.

The defense is loaded with veterans and guys that have been around the block. I'm not so sure about the idea of putting Dan Girardi on the top pairing, but that could be because Jake Dotchin sat out most of the preseason for violating a team rule. Victor Hedman is going to have another great season because he can move the puck, quarterback the power play and get the puck through to the front of the net for some deflection chances. The Bolts are going to have its struggles on defense this season, but hopefully the goalies can bail them out when that happens.

The Lightning will get back to the playoffs this year even having to contend with an Eastern Conference. The veteran team knows how to win and will find a way to get back to the postseason, and possibly have a deep run.

3 Things: Panthers vs. Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning will open its season at home against the Florida Panthers tonight at 7:30 p.m. 

Here are three things to watch for in tonight's game: 

1.) Make Bottom Six Beat You- Bolts

The Lightning are going to need to keep the top six forwards of the Panthers off the board. If they can manage to keep them off the board or at least in check then they will have a chance at winning the game, and stealing two important divisional points. The Panthers don't seem to have a lot in the bottom six that would really scare you offensively so the Bolts need to get favorable matchups out tonight especially with last change. If Tampa Bay can keep Jonathan Huberdeau, Sasha Barkov and Vincent Trocheck off the board then they should be in good shape tonight.

2.) Attack the Lightning Defense- Panthers

The Panthers need to get in on the forecheck and pressure the Lightning's defense every time they have the puck. Dan Girardi is being used with Victor Hedman on the top pair for the opening game, and he will turn the puck over if pressured. Mikhail Sergachev is a rookie playing in only his fifth NHL game, so Florida should see if they can rattle him, and hit him at every opportunity they  have. The Lightning defense will turn the puck over, but they can also move the puck well so the Panthers are going to need to get in on the forecheck quick tonight.

3.) Get the First Goal- Bolts & Panthers

Tampa Bay will have the home crowd behind them tonight especially since it is the home opener. The Bolts will need to get the first goal to keep the crowd into the game, and then keep building on the lead. The Panthers need to get the first goal to get the crowd out of the game, and make the Bolts chase the lead. If Florida can manage to get the first goal then they need to build on the lead. 

Lightning Strikes: Weekly Preview 10/4/17-10/7/17

The Tampa Bay Lightning start off the season with a home-and-home series against Atlantic Division Rival, the Florida Panthers.

On Friday night, the Lightning host the Panthers. If the Bolts want to win the game then they will keep to keep the trio of Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and Sasha Barkov off the board. Tampa Bay needs to make the other Panthers on the ice beat them. The Lightning should use the loud, raucous crowd to its advantage to get off to a fast start. Tampa Bay is going to need to get the first goal to keep the crowd in the game and they'll need to use its balanced attack. If the Bolts can manage to get some pucks on net then they'll have a decent shot at winning the game.

If the Panthers want a chance at getting a big two points in the division, and on the road, then they'll need to get production up-and-down the lineup. They can't just rely on three players for its offense, everyone is going to need to pitch in. Florida will need to be smart with the puck and avoid turnovers in the neutral zone and its own zone because the Bolts will take advantage of mistakes. The Panthers need to play a solid, defensive road game. The Cats need to get in on the forecheck, pressure the Lightning defense, and get the first goal of the game.

These two teams will face off the next night, but this time the Panthers are the home team. If the Panthers want to win the game then the team will need to bring a balanced attack. Florida will need to try and go glove side or elevate the puck, if Andrei Vasilveskiy is in net for the Bolts. If Peter Budaj is in net for the Bolts, then the Panthers just need to get some pucks towards the net and have some movement going post-to-post. The Cats may also want to stay out of the penalty box and get the first goal of the game to keep the crowd behind them.

The Bolts will need to get off to a fast start, and take the lead to get the crowd out of the game. Tampa Bay needs to establish a cycle game early along with a good forecheck, just to limit the Panthers offensive zone time. The Lightning also need to get pucks on net and traffic in front of the opposing goal, whomever that may be since these two teams play on back-to-back nights. The Bolts are going to need a solid road effort and to shut down the Panthers.