(WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres will play their final road game of the 2021-22 season on Thursday in Boston against the Bruins. Buffalo has only beaten the Bruins once in the last 13 games between the two teams.
Sabres head coach Don Granato indicated that Dustin Tokarski will start in goal on Thursday. He’s 9-11-5 this season with a 3.25 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. However, Tokarski is 4-2-1 in his last seven starts.
Buffalo is on a four-game winning streak for the first time this season, and have scored five goals in each of the last three games. The Sabres have scored five goals in four of their last six games, and netted four in one of those contests.
The Sabres have won five out of six games, with the only loss coming to the St. Louis Blues.
Granato said following Wednesday's practice he hoped to have Kyle Okposo back on Friday. John Hayden took Okposo’s place in practice, which means he'll likely play on Thursday.
The Bruins are supposed to be using most of their regulars on Thursday, and Granato wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I’m glad to hear that they are playing their full lineup and it is a meaningful game for them, because at the very least, it’s going to push us to be better," said Granato. "It presents a challenge for us, and our guys want to be challenged, because they know it's going to make them better. We haven’t had a lot of success there, because it’s a tough building to play in, and I like that.”
Peyton Krebs' third game with the Sabres was a 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins on New Year's Day. He says things are so much different now.
“Boston was one of my first few games with Buffalo, and it was exciting," said Krebs. "They’ve got a really good team, they’re in the playoffs, and I think it’s a really good challenge for us for next year to see how we can rise to this. I think we’re going to come out like we always do, which is hard, and they’re going to do the same.”
The Sabres have won their last three games on the road. Buffalo’s 226 goals this season is the most they’ve scored since the 2010-11 season when they netted 240.
Tage Thompson has 14 goals and 25 points in his last 21 games. Jeff Skinner is on a four-game points streak, picking up seven points.
Boston has won three-straight games, and five out of six. The Bruins can still catch the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in the Atlantic Division. They are currently three points behind Tampa Bay, and can do no worse than the No. 1 Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Former Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark gets the start in goal on Thursday. It’ll be his third game in four contests. Ullmark has been on fire since March 15, going 8-1-0, while Jeremy Swayman was 6-6-0. In that time, Ullmark has a 1.65 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. Swayman put up a 3.13 goals-against average with an .890 save percentage.
I could be wrong, but I think the Bruins were expecting more than 19 goals and 59 points from another former Sabres player in Taylor Hall.
David Pastrnak is 15th in the NHL with 39 goals. Brad Marchand is the Bruins' leading scorer with 32 goals and 46 assists for 78 points in 69 games.
Join Schopp and the Bulldog at 6 p.m. ET for pregame coverage on WGR when you’ll hear from Granato, Thompson and development coach Dan Girardi, who has been on the ice in Buffalo with some of the young defensemen.
Related
