Sabres hope for a better start against Carolina

If there's one takeaway from the last 10 games for the Buffalo Sabres, eight of which have seen them come away with at least one point, it's that they've developed a knack for coming back in games. They've done it at home in against the Rangers, Kings, Oilers and Islanders, and they did it in both games on their recent road trip in Florida and Carolina.
The next step for the team, according to its leadership, is making it so comebacks aren't necessary. While they were able to erase deficits and tie the games against the Hurricanes and Panthers, both of those contests turned into shootout losses. The extra points that the Sabres let slip away are especially important considering those are the two teams directly ahead of them in the standings.

"My words to the players were we need to be more emotionally attached to the game and to the situation right from the start," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. "We get desperate, we get emotionally attached to the game in the second period and really come with a lot after that point. Our challenge is, we've got to get emotionally attached to the game right from the drop of the puck."

With the shootout loss in Carolina on Saturday still fresh on their minds, the Sabres should have every reason to be invested right from the start when they host the Hurricanes tonight. Buffalo only tallied 12 shots on goal in the first two periods of that first meeting as opposed to 10 in the third, when they scored to tie the game with less than three minutes remaining to force overtime.
If they can avenge that loss by earning a regulation win tonight, the Sabres will pass the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference standings.
"We can't wait for April 15 to come around to find out who's going to be in the playoffs and what the brackets are going to be," Bylsma said. "They're ahead of us in the standings, they're right in front of us, this is a team we have to beat if we're going to think about being a playoff team."
"Right now is the time to make the push, not the end of February," added Sabres captain Brian Gionta. "These are the points, these are the times that matter. It's getting everybody to realize that this part of the schedule is huge for us."
When asked how the team can shift its mindset to avoid slow starts, alternate captain Ryan O'Reilly suggested it might begin even before the puck drops.
"I think it starts with our leadership, myself and a few others," he said. "Whether it starts once we get to the rink, once we get out for the warmups, let's get into it right from there. Let's start getting into the mindset where it's everyone's first shift. Let's get our legs going right from there, get our heart rates up, get into the game and go from there. If we can do that, that should help us get into having a better start."
Robin Lehner will start in net for the Sabres. He'll be opposed by Cam Ward for the Hurricanes, who made 23 saves and earned the win when these two teams met on Saturday.
Coverage of the game tonight begins at 6:30 p.m. with the TOPS Pregame Show on MSG-B, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7 p.m.

A long break for the Hurricanes

When the Sabres traveled to Raleigh on Saturday, they met a Hurricanes team that was playing the second of back-to-back games. Tonight they'll host a Hurricanes team that hasn't played in the four days since. Carolina had its game against Detroit on Monday postponed due to ice issues at PNC Arena.
Bylsma said he doesn't expect the well-rested Hurricanes to play any different from the team he saw Saturday.
"I don't expect a lot different from how they play," Bylsma said. "They're a fast team throughout their lineup, they come at you with a lot of speed. They're not a physical team, but they are on you, smother you with their speed and with their forecheck … They're a tough team to play against because of that."

Projected lineup

Bylsma said his lineup beyond Lehner will be a game-time decision, but William Carrier stayed on the ice to do extra work following the morning skate. If he is the healthy scratch tonight, it would likely mean a return to the lineup for Nicolas Deslaruiers after he was scratched for the game in Florida on Tuesday.
Here's how the lineup could look, with either Carrier or Deslauriers assuming the role of fourth-line left wing.
82 Marcus Foligno - 90 Ryan O'Reilly - 23 Sam Reinhart
26 Matt Moulson - 15 Jack Eichel - 21 Kyle Okposo
9 Evander Kane - 22 Johan Larsson - 12 Brian Gionta
44 Nicolas Deslauriers/48 William Carrier - 27 Derek Grant - 28 Zemgus Girgensons
29 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
77 Dmitry Kulikov - 47 Zach Bogosian
4 Josh Gorges - 6 Cody Franson
40 Robin Lehner
31 Anders Nilsson