(WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres already knew they’d be without Victor Olofsson for Wednesday’s game in Montreal against the Candiens due to sickness. Now it appears Kyle Okposo is doubtful.
"Illness was the update, so we don’t expect him for tonight. But he’s still a possibility," said head coach Don Granato following Wednesday's morning skate.
That means Brandon Biro will likely play his first NHL game. This season, the 23-year-old college free agent signee has nine goals and 27 assists for 36 points in 39 games. That ties him with JJ Peterka for the team’s assist lead.
Biro spent four years at Penn State University, and in his final two seasons scored 26 goals and 39 assists for 65 points in 62 games.
Buffalo has lost its last three games, but this season, the team is 3-0-0 against Montreal. The last time in Montreal, there were only 500 fans in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions. Now the building is half-full, and head coach Granato thinks it makes a difference.
“The building is dead with no fans, and last game you could see the jump in their players with the energy in the building," Granato said. "It’s a different challenge and a different team for us this week than it was last week based on that. So this is not a pushover team by any means. They’re starting to find a little bit of a rhythm, so this is a big challenge for us.”
The Canadiens have just 11 wins this season, but they have won three-straight games under interim head coach Marty St. Louis, including a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs and a 3-2 win against the St. Louis Blues.
Tage Thompson continues to be red-hot for the Sabres with six goals in his last five games, and 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in his last 17 games.
Rasmus Asplund’s last goal came on Nov. 21. He hasn’t scored in 32 games, and has one goal in 41 games. Last season, he earned a regular spot on the wing with Thompson and Casey Mittelstadt and was Buffalo’s best two-way forward. He contributed seven goals in 28 games after being buried on the taxi squad by Ralph Krueger.
The last time the Sabres were in Montreal, Jeff Skinner had four goals and five points. It’s the only game he’s scored in in his last 10.
Alex Tuch continues to impress with 21 points in 19 games with the Sabres. Peyton Krebs has eight points in his last 11 games.
Craig Anderson will get the call in goal. He played in front of an exhausted team in Columbus, giving up six goals.
The biggest part of Montreal’s resurgence under St. Louis has been Cole Caufield. The Canadiens took the deeply talented goal scorer 15th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, the same draft the Sabres grabbed Dylan Cozens seventh overall. Caufield had scored one goal all season for the Habs, but he’s played well for his new coach, scoring five goals in six games.
Join Pat Malacaro for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6:30 p.m. EST when we’ll hear from Granato, Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Will Butcher.
