Rasmus and Rasmus expected to partner vs. Calgary

With Jake McCabe's status up in the air, Tuesday night's outing against the Calgary Flames could offer the first glimpse of an all-Rasmus pair on defense for the Buffalo Sabres.
McCabe, who has been skating with Rasmus Ristolainen of late, is a game-time decision due to an upper-body injury. In the event McCabe doesn't dress, Rasmus Dahlin is expected to skate alongside Ristolainen on the top defense pair.
Call them what you will: Rasmus Squared, Rasmi, R2D2. In any case, the elder Rasmus seemed excited about the possibility following Buffalo's morning skate.

"Actually, I'm excited to play with him," Ristolainen said. "He's been really good. Just talk to him a lot, just try to make him feel comfortable and do his thing."
Dahlin has skated with McCabe and Casey Nelson so far this season and has played on both the left and right side in the process. That the 18-year-old has been able to excel alongside different partners is a testament to his versatility, Sabres coach Phil Housley said.
"He's very versatile," Housley said. "He's been playing with a lot of different partners. We've been working a lot with him about his communication to his partner. It just shows he can make adjustments midstream."
Ristolainen joked that Dahlin's ability to join the rush might force him to play conservatively.
"I'm the [veteran] in there now so I'm going to stay home now," he said, laughing.
"No, just read the play. He likes to jump, I like to jump. We're going to read off each other. Whoever's there first is gonna go support the rush and the other one's got the other's back and makes sure if something happens, he's there."
McCabe sustained his injury during the Sabres' overtime loss in Columbus on Saturday but returned to skate 7:15 in the third period. He participated in the team's morning skate but did not take part in line rushes.
McCabe's absence would also mean a return to the lineup for Nathan Beaulieu, who's sat the last four games. Beaulieu scored a goal and posted a plus-2 rating in seven games before he sustained an upper-body injury in San Jose on Oct. 18.

"He made a lot of good decisions in the summer about really focusing on his game," Housley said. "He had an excellent camp. That relayed into the exhibitions and the beginning of the games. I like the way he's moving the puck, keeping things simple."
Carter Hutton will start in net for the Sabres.
Coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m. with the GMC Game Night pregame show, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7.

Scouting the Flames

Jeff Skinner will see a lot of familiar faces when he glances toward the opposing bench, albeit in unfamiliar uniforms. Calgary hired Bill Peters, Skinner's former coach in Carolina, in April and then acquired forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Hurricanes in June.

Lindholm is off to the best start of his career with eight goals in 12 games, tied for seventh in the NHL. The 23-year-old's career-high for goals in a season is 17, set in 2014-15.
"He's got a lot of skill," Skinner said. "I think a few years in Carolina he had a bunch of chances and sort of sometimes wasn't getting the bounces, but he's always had a lot of skill. He's got a good shot, he's obviously playing with a lot of confidence right now and we have to be aware when he's on the ice."
The Flames broke a three-game winless streak with a 3-1 victory in Toronto on Monday. Mike Smith started that game in net, so backup David Rittich will get the nod against the Sabres.

Flip the calendar

The Sabres enter the night with points in their last four games (3-0-1), giving them a chance to earn their first five-game streak since they had points in nine straight (7-0-2) from March 10 to 27, 2012.
A win would also mark their best month of October since 2009-10, when they went 8-2-1 for a .773 point percentage and went on to win the Northeast Division. Their 6-4-1 record already marks their best October since 2011-12, when they went 6-4-0 for a .600 point percentage.
"Especially when I've been here six years and how tough it's been, it feels a little extra good," Ristolainen said. "But you can't get too comfortable, you've got to work hard. There's 70 games left so anything can happen but we're on the right track."

Projected lineup*

53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville
43 Conor Sheary - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 23 Sam Reinhart
72 Tage Thompson - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 21 Kyle Okposo
10 Patrik Berglund - 22 Johan Larsson - 28 Zemgus Girgensons
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
6 Marco Scandella - 4 Zach Bogosian
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark
\*Dependent on the status of Jake McCabe, who will be a game-time decision.