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The Buffalo Panthers will have to find out a way to crack the code on beating Roberto Luongo. They better do it in a hurry. Luongo will return to his net tonight after a one game against Carolina. Chad Johnson will go for the Sabres.
Luongo, 36, is 14-6-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .940 save percentage in 23 games against the Sabres. He has won his last six starts against Buffalo.
The veteran goalie has only allowed two goals on 72 shots against in the two games he has played this season.
Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma knows all too well how dominant a puck stopper that Luongo can be when he is playing as well as he has been this season.
"I know he's a guy who said he's going to keep it to two (goals) or less. That's what he believes and that's what he pretty much does for this team every night he plays."
Luongo isn't the only Panthers elder statesman who has been a pain in the rear to the Sabres over the years.
Jagr has scored 42 goals and accumulated 98 points in the 43 career games that he has played against the Sabres.
The 43 year old freak of nature doesn't look one iota out of place running the left wing with special youngster Sasha Barkov and Jonathon Huberdeau.
Jagr's has scored 2 goals and added an assists in 3 game splayed this season. Ditto Barkov. Huberdeau has an assist. Combined, the line is +6.
Jagr is the ageless wonder and and would not surprise me at all if this guy places in the NHL until he is 50 years old. He keeps himself in tremendous physical condition and he still has a love of the game.
The Panthers have scored 11 goals this season while allowing only 3 goals against. The Cats are getting scoring from all four lines in the early going this season. Having a +8 goal differential certainly speaks to their excellent goaltending and defensive prowess.
Here are the forward lines the Cats will ice tonight:
Forwards:
Jagr - Barkov - Huberdeau Pirri - Bjugstad - Smith Jokinen - Bolland - Trocheck Brickley - MacKenzie - Howden
D Pairs:
Ekblad - Campbell Gudbranson - Mitchell Petrovic -Kulikov
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Jack Eichel returns to the scene of where his storybook NHL career began in Sunrise, Florida. Eichel was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2015 NHL Draft.
On a hot and muggy June evening, Sabres GM made a bee line to the podium on the stage at the NHL Draft (in Sunrise) and pounced his now legendary words:
"The Buffalo Sabres select Jack Eichel".
It's been a match made in Hockey Heaven ever since that franchise-changing day.
Eichel and the Sabres will play their first road game of the season tonight after going 1-2 on their season-opening three game homestand.
The Cats will be a tough out for the Sabres as they have scored 11 goals and only allowed 3 goals against in their three games played thus far.
Captain Brian Gionta took the morning skate alongside Eichel and Evander Kane . Gionta is good to go tonight after sitting out Buffalo's first three games.
Thirteen foward skated this morning. Someone has to be the healthy scratch tonight. That someone likely will be Johan Larsson.
Here are the line trios from the morning skate:
O'Reilly-Girgensons-Ennis Kane-Eichel-Gionta Moulson-Larsson-Reinhart-McGinn Deslauriers-Legwand-Foligno
It appears that Samson Reinhart will not be the scratch tonight.
The second overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft was the extra winger at the morning skate. However, he was reportedly working on the second PP unit, which is an indicator that he will be in the lineup against the Panthers.
Larsson played in the first three games of the season due to the Giota lower body injury.
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