Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres will have a different look to them on Thursday when they host the Dallas Stars.
It looks like Eric Comrie will be in goal, while Mattias Samuelsson, Riley Stillman and JJ Peterka will be back in the lineup. That means Vinnie Hinostroza, Jacob Bryson and Kale Clague will all be out.
Meanwhile, another huge change is Jordan Greenway moving up the lineup to be on the right wing with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner. Sabres head coach Don Granato says he’s not just giving Greenway an opportunity.
“What I want to see, I mean we know about his physicality and so do opposing defensemen, and this is a team in Dallas that’s well aware of who Jordan Greenway is with finishing hits and creating space," said Granato following Thursday's morning skate. "As we move forward, when you have a guy like that and you have another team that wants to matchup against Thompson and Skinner, you add another element that they have to deal with.”
Thompson played on the same team with Greenway at the U.S. National Program Under-18 team, and the Sabres' 42-goal scorer went to Granato to talk about playing with Greenway.
“He and Tage have a familiarity, and Tage spoke with me even before I spoke with him about the potential of that at some point," Granato said. "They have a lot of respect for each other, and they’ll have some chemistry right away.”
Granato talked about how Greenway will have no trouble keeping up, and that Greenway can make plays with hockey sense.
“It’s going to be a good opportunity for myself, and it’s going to be pretty easy to fit in with both of those guys," said Greenway on Thursday. "I don’t need to change much, just do what I’ve been doing.”
Greenway hasn’t played with Thompson in the NHL, but he feels knowing him well will help him in Thursday's game.
"Just being able to communicate and be comfortable, and we’ve had a history," Greenway said. "I kind of know what he likes to do and where he likes to get pucks.”
The game against the New York Islanders on Tuesday was the biggest contest for many on this team of their careers. Buffalo only lost 3-2, but they got overrun in the last half of the game. They stayed in it only thanks to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Granato was very unhappy with what he saw on Tuesday. The Islanders blocked 30 shots, and it frustrated the Sabres into passing up great shooting opportunities.
“You have to break teams down, and we have to do a better job of engaging in the process of just doing the right things over-and-over-and-over again," Granato said. "We didn’t stick to wearing on the other team.
“The other night was a very, very big disappointment for me and our guys, and it should be.”
So how does a team fight through when the other team is blocking so many shots?
“If you can shoot from the point and just get it to the net, you’re going to break coverage and force them into a situation where they’re turning toward their own goaltender, and their forwards are going to breakout position instead of defending position," Granato explained. "Instead of trying to score from the blue line, just get it to the net to create a second chance. We were unwilling and reluctant to play that type of game, so yes, you can tell my aggravation in it.”
Losing four out of five games has put the Sabres back in the playoff race. They’re five points out of the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card spot.
The Sabres are very much missing Alex Tuch, as they’ve scored two or fewer goals in three out of four games.
Eric Comrie has won four-straight starts, and played one of his best games of the season on Saturday, making 33 saves in a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Overall this year, Comrie is 8-8-0 with a 3.56 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage.
When the Stars were the No. 1 team in the Western Conference, the Sabres, behind Craig Anderson, won in overtime, 3-2.
Now, the Stars are No. 2 in the West with three wins in four games. Dallas has scored 24 goals in its last five games.
Jason Robertson leads the way for Dallas with 38 goals and 42 assists for 80 points in 64 games. He has seven points in four games.
Roope Hintz has been red-hot with points in six-straight games, netting seven goals and nine points.
Buffalo is in the middle of facing four-straight All-Star goalies. They got two goals each against Stuart Skinner (Oilers) and Ilya Sorokin (Islanders), and now they will face Jake Oettinger and Igor Shesterkin (Rangers).
Oettinger is the workhorse for Dallas, playing in six of the last seven games. This season, he’s 26-9-10 overall with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.
The trick may be to try to get the Stars to overtime, where they’re 5-13 this season. Buffalo is 8-4 overall in overtime.
Join Schopp and the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST when they’ll be joined by Granato, Greenway and Stillman.
