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Per the Sabres, Michal Neuvirth was the first goalie off the ice at this morning's optional skate.
Is he tonight's starter?
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Here they come. The team that has made a living out of stock piling first overall and high first round draft choices. The same team that has won the NHL Draft poker game more than any other in the post-lockout era. The same team that is scraping the abyss for another season.
What is wrong with the Edmonton Oilers? Are they ever going to get their act in gear? Are they ever going to win with all of the young talent that they have assembled? Or, are they just the modern day equivalent to the Montreal Expos? Will all of their sick, young, talented players become winners on other teams when they finally leave Edmonton?
Should Sabres fans have their nose out of joint about the Oilers? Some say yes, some say no. The Oilers appear to have corrected their crash course with futility that they have been barreling out of control on the past few years. Their shoddy goaltending has me worried. The Oilers can score goals in bunches, however, Scrivens and Fasth have been like spaghetti strainers this season by allowing 48 goals against in 13 games that they have played.
The Oilers have admitted that they are committed to seeing this re0build through to its end, meaning, they are committed to playing their kids and surrounding them with experienced vets. However, they may get used to losing so much so that they may start selling off their valuable veteran assets in an attempt to dive to the bottom of the NHL ocean. If that were to happen, Buffalo, Carolina, and Arizona would certainly have an issue.
Hey, you never know. If their inconsistencies continue to undermine their success, Oilers ownership may decide to turf head coach Dallas Eakins and his staff in the next month and shift their course to Diving for McDavid.
Sabres fans are territorial people by nature. However, they are all the move protective of their boy who would be king, Connor McDavid.
The Sabres enter tonight's action against the Oilers looking to achieve their first three game point streak of the season. For as bad as the 3-9-3 Sabres have been this season, they have at least won two road games. The Oilers can't make that claim. They are currently 0-4 on the road after they were pumped 5-2 in Boston last night.
The Sabres rallied this week to beat Detroit in the shootout and to grab a point off of Montreal in Wednesday's OT loss.
The Oilers led 2-1 with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation time in Boston on Thursday night, however, the Bruins erupted to score three straight goals in 2:34 of clock time to cement their 5-2 victory.
Oilers tender Ben Scrivens tild Oilers.com that he was perplexed after the loss to Boston.
"We need to find a way to close games out," said Scrivens, who stopped 27 shots. "We've got to find a way to do it. You can't take a step back. You can't be cautious. We're a much better team when we're going after the other team."
The Oilers are 0-4-1 on the road this season, including 0-2-0 to start their five-game road trip.
Look for a Jhonas Enroth-Victor Fasth battle tonight. The two goalies earned gold medals on for Team Sweden at the 2012 World Hockey Championships in Stockholm.
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Happy French Connection Day 11/7/14 #savortheday
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 7, 2014
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Marcus Foligno will not play tonight, per Ted Nolan. He may make it back for the Penguins game on Saturday night.
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The Sabres are 2-44 on the power play. Drew Stafford has scored both PPGs.
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SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Deslauriers (44), Weber (37), Foligno/Girgensons (36) Blocked Shots: Gorges (56), Weber (27), Benoit/Myers (23) Shots: Stewart (36), Girgensons (27), Stafford/Myers (26)
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Josh Gorges has blocked an NHL-best 56 shots, 13 more than the next highest total (Kris Russell, CGY – 43 BS in 14 GP) through Wednesday’s games.
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â—¾The Sabres have gone 7-1-0 in their last eight games against the Oilers, outscoring them by a 31-14 margin. â—¾Four Sabres average at least a point per game in their limited experience against the Oilers: Drew Stafford (6 GP, 7+2), Matt Moulson (5 GP, 1+4), Mike Weber (4 GP, 2+2), Zemgus Girgensons (1 GP, 0+1). â—¾Chris Stewart leads the Sabres with 17 career points (11+6) in 21 games against the Oilers. â—¾The Sabres are seeking their first three-game point streak since they won three straight home games from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28.