Marc Andre Gragnani will play tonight, while TJ Brennan sits.
Tyler Myers will play.
Cody McCormick will be the healthy forward scratch.
thanks, sabres.com
****
#begreat has been great since returning from his concussion last Saturday night.
He's the straw thats strring the Roy-Stafford drink right now.
thanks, sabres.com
Gerbe scored a goal, added an assist, and was +3 in the Sabres win over Edmonton on Tuesday night. Stafford scored a goal and added two assists, and was +3 in the game. Roy had an assist and was +3.
*****
Yesterday, Lindy Ruff tossed the car keys to Ryan Miller and said:
"Drive it like you stole it for the next 40 miles".
Tonight, Miller and the Sabres aim to turn their season around with a hard sixty minute egffort in Raleigh.
Carolina hosts the Buffalo Sabres on Friday at the RBC Center for the third of four meetings between the teams this season. The teams have split the first two meetings with each team winning on the road. The Canes earned a 4-3 win in Buffalo (10/14). The Sabres recorded a 1-0 win at the RBC Center (11/18).
The Sabres won't have a cake walk in Raleigh. Kirk Muller is selling a hard hockey message and his team is responding.
FAST FACTS
-- Keeping their Discipline: The Hurricanes rank third in the NHL in fewest penalty minutes per game (9.8), through games of Jan. 5. The Canes have totaled less than 10 minutes in penalties 21 times this season (41 games).
-- Power Play Production: Carolina is 3-for-8 on the power play over its last three games. The Canes are 9-5-3 when scoring a power play goal this season. Eric Staal and Alexei Ponikarovsky are tied for the Hurricanes’ team-lead with four power play goals each.
-- Shorthanded Leaders: Carolina ranks tied for first in the NHL with seven shorthanded goals this season (through games of Jan. 5).
The Hurricanes scored seven shorthanded goals in 82 games in 2010-11. Brandon Sutter ranks tied for second in the NHL with three shorthanded goals, while Patrick Dwyer is tied for fourth with two shorthanded tallies (through games of Jan. 5).
-- Shot Blockers: The Hurricanes rank fourth in the NHL with 619 blocked shots, an average of 15.1 per game (through games of Jan.5). Bryan Allen is 15th in the NHL with 82 blocked shots (through games of Jan. 5).
ICE TIME LEADERS
Captain Eric Staal ranks seventh among NHL forwards in ice time per game (21:28), through games of Jan. 5. Staal has skated 20-plus minutes 31 times this season, including 25:05 on Jan. 3 against the Islanders. Justin Faulk leads all rookie defenseman in ice time per game (22:06), through games of Jan. 5. Faulk has logged over 20 minutes in each of the team’s last 22 games.
BACK IN BLACK
The Hurricanes will wear their black jerseys for the 11th time in the 2011-12 season on Jan. 6 against the Buffalo Sabres. Carolina is 3-5-2 this season when wearing its third jersey. The Hurricanes unveiled their alternate uniform in 2008-09, and have gone 31-17-5 alltime when wearing the third jersey.
Buffalo has gotten at least a point in their last eight games at Carolina. The Sabres haven’t lost in regulation at Carolina since Oct.24, 2007.
A win tonight would give the Sabres wins in consecutive games for the first time since they won four straight from Nov 4 to Nov. 11.
Tonight kicks off Buffalo’s 11th back-to-back set of the season. The Sabres are 6-4-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets this season, and 5-4-1 in the second.
January has been Buffalo’s best month by a wide margin since 2008-09, with the Sabres going 26-10-4 (.700). Since the lockout, Buffalo has a 42-26-10 record in January (.603).
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Sabres are 13-2-3 when Derek Roy records a point… After finishing the year 2010 in 12th place and 10 points out of playoff position, the Sabres rallied to a 28-11-6 finish from January 2011 onward to make the playoffs last year.
Derek Roy leads all current Sabres with 29 points (13+16) in 25 career games against the Hurricanes. He has registered at least one point in six of his past seven games vs. Carolina, including a goal in the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-3 loss at First Niagara Center on Oct. 14
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