Special teams will be at forefront of matchup with Jets

WINNIPEG -What happens when an immovable force meets an unstoppable object? Pay attention to the special teams battle between the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets on Friday, and you might find out.
Winnipeg boasts the NHL's best power play at 34 percent, a mark that ticks up to 40 percent on home ice. Blake Wheeler leads the league with 13 power-play points, all assists, while Patrik Laine's seven goals with the extra man rank second.
But the Buffalo penalty kill is no pushover, either. The Sabres are a perfect 12-for-12 in their last five games, which includes a couple of 5-on-3 kills, and 27-for-29 in 10 games dating back to Oct. 21. Their success rate of 93.1 percent in that span ranks second in the NHL.

Force, meet object.
"I think we all know they're probably the best in the league or they're definitely up there," Sabres forward Patrik Berglund said. "They have a lot of skilled guys that make a lot of good plays, guys that can really score. We've got to bring our best game for sure."

Berglund will step back into the lineup in place of Evan Rodrigues and will likely be one of the players tasked with killing penalties against the five-man unit of Wheeler, Laine, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Dustin Byfuglien.
Laine has established himself as a one-time threat from the left faceoff circle, a la Alexander Ovechkin, while Wheeler has shown a penchant for feeding him passes through traffic.
"We've got to pay special attention to him, for sure," Housley said. "They find that seam really well. Wheeler does a great job of getting that puck to him, so we'll make some adjustments to our penalty kill tonight, but I think the most important thing for us is just to stay out of the box."
The Sabres will look to ignite their own power play, meanwhile, after going 0-for-10 over the past four games. Their new units at practice on Thursday looked like this:
Unit 1: Berglund, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Dahlin
Unit 2: Conor Sheary, Casey Mittelstadt, Jason Pominville, Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Ristolainen
Berglund's time on the power play has been limited this season, but Housley said he likes the potential for the forward skating on the right flank.
"I think he's got very good instincts offensively," Housley said. "Being in that role where he can be in the middle of the ice or get out on the flank, I think Skinner and him can feed off each other. I like his shot capabilities. He's got a great one-time. We've got to get back to shooting the puck on the power play."
Both teams enter the contest amid three-game win streaks. The Sabres have beaten opponents with a combined record of 33-20-6 during their run. The Jets are 11-5-1 this season, including 8-2-1 in front of their raucous home crowd.
"It's a great atmosphere," Housley said. "The people are right on top of you, they're a loud crowd. If you're not ready for this game, you better be, because they're going to try and start fast. It's a great atmosphere."
Coverage on MSG-B begins at 7:30 p.m. with the GMC Game Night pregame show, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 8.

Projected lineup

Berglund will replace Rodrigues on a line with Vladimir Sobotka and Jason Pominville. Carter Hutton will start in net.
After being matched up primarily with Tampa Bay's top line of J.T. Miller, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on Thursday (and holding them without a goal), expect to see the trio of Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson and Tage Thompson to continue to play a key role in defensive-zone matchups.
"They've been terrific," Housley said. "Especially Zemgus and Larsson have done a really great job and even Tage now being in that role, starting in the defensive zone quite a bit, is learning how to play without the puck which is going to be important moving forward in his development."
Here's the full projected lineup, based on Thursday's practice:
53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
43 Conor Sheary - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 21 Kyle Okposo
17 Vladimir Sobotka - 10 Patrik Berglund - 29 Jason Pominville
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 22 Johan Larsson - 72 Tage Thompson
19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
6 Marco Scandella - 4 Zach Bogosian
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 26 Rasmus Dahlin
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark