Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - I find it amazing that this is only the third Game 7 ever played in Buffalo. In 1997, Derek Plante scored to beat the Ottawa Senators and that's the only Game 7 win in Sabres history. There have been six losses.
In this year's playoffs Buffalo has not done well at home going 2-4. Lindy Ruff is trying to change things up putting the team in a Buffalo hotel just to make it seem like they're on the road.
Ruff also came out to talk to the press on Monday morning in a black goathead sweatshirt. He was asked if the team for the first time in 13 playoff games was going to wear the goathead jerseys. He said,
"Ah (maybe) we'll switch it. Coaches wore an assortment today, some blue and some black."
Regular National Anthem singer Cami Clune tweeted out that she won't be singing on Monday and there would be a special guest. In the regular season when the team wore the goatheads, Doug Allen very often sang the anthem. I'm sure it's a big disappointment for Clune who is one of the best in the NHL.
Ruff had the players downtown in a hotel and he said,
"I felt like and sometimes and the reason we tried to change it up last night was there's a lot of distractions now, you've got a lot of friends, a lot of family, so we just tried to get away from that and just be with the group and be with each other and wrap our arms around this opportunity."
Of course Ruff isn't going to reveal who his goalie is going to be, but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen came into Game 6 after Alex Lyon let in three goals on four shots and stopped all 18 shots in just under 50 minutes of work. In this series Luukkonen is 2-1 with a 2.81 goals against and .903 save percentage while Lyon is 1-2 with a 4.49 goals against and .847 save percentage.
Tage Thompson had a goal and three assists in Game 6 and is now second in NHL playoff scoring with five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 12 games. Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights leads with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 12 games. In his last four games Thompson has three goals and five assists for eight points.
Rasmus Dahlin is second amongst defensemen with three goals and 10 assists for 13 points. he tied a Sabres record for most points in a playoff game picking up five points in Game 6. The leading playoff scoring defenseman is Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild with four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. Dahlin has points in four straight games netting two goals and seven assists for nine points.
The winner of Monday's game will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes with Game 1 on Raleigh on Thursday.
Lindy Ruff has treated this home game as a road game as it's do or die
Lindy Ruff has treated this home game as a road game as it's do or die
