Sabres look to extend win streak to 10 vs. Sharks

When the Buffalo Sabres met the San Jose Sharks back on Oct. 18, the results spurred change. The Sabres lost that game, 5-1, prompting new lines and defense pairs at practice the following day in Los Angeles.
The Sabres have gone 13-2-2 since, including wins in their last nine contests. Phil Housley said he could see the roots of their current run in that loss to the Sharks even in spite of the outcome.
"I mean, it was unfortunate," he said. "We took a penalty early and they scored two goals off it. You never want to start a game like that. But I think if you looked at the body of work, at the whole game, I thought our five-on-five game was really good. And that was the start of something better."

The Sabres host the Sharks on Tuesday with a chance to extend their winning streak to 10 games, which would tie a franchise record set in January 1984 and matched in October 2006.
Conor Sheary will be scratched due to an upper-body injury, prompting a promotion for fellow forward Tage Thompson to a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Kyle Okposo. Thompson has three goals in his last four games, which ranks second only to Jeff Skinner during the team's current streak.
Housley complimented Thompson's patience while sitting as a healthy scratch for four games to begin the month, during which the 21-year-old spent extra time working on his game after practice and in the film room. The fruits of his labor have begun to show as of late.
"I'm just like where Tage's development is," Housley said. "… He earned a spot on this team in training camp. His game wasn't where it was at, he took a step back, but when he got the next opportunity he took advantage of it and made the best of it. You can see it. These last five games I think he's played his best hockey."

The matchup with the Sharks will provide a test for the line centered by Mittelstadt, who has made strides defensively early in his rookie season. The Sharks are deep down the middle with captain Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Joe Thornton anchoring their top three lines.
"I think it's important to know who you're out against but at the same time you've got to make sure you still play your game," Mittelstadt said. "I try not to think about it too much, but you know who they are and you try to do what you can to stop them.
"Obviously they all have a lot of offensive skill so the best thing you can do is make them play defense."
Sheary's absence will also make room for Remi Elie to play his second straight game, skating on a line with Johan Larsson and Zemgus Girgensons. Elie tallied two shots in 10:08 in Detroit on Saturday.
"He provided a big spark for us [with] his skating and he was really tenacious on the forecheck," Housley said. "He almost scored his first shift. It's good to see him bounce back and get an opportunity."
Carter Hutton will start in net, looking to extend his career-best personal winning streak to eight games. He's posted a .934 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average in his last seven appearances.
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.

Hockey Fights Cancer

The Sabres will host Hockey Fights Cancer Night at KeyBank Center, with events to be held throughout the night in support of local cancer patients and their charitable organizations. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats early for a special ceremony.
"Cancer's touched everybody in one form or another," Housley said. "My mom passed away in 2000. I'm fighting for her. In my family there are some relatives that have passed away but the NHL's done terrific job of addressing this disease. I'm looking forward to tonight's start of the game."
The Sabres will wear commemorative purple jerseys during warmups, which will then be auctioned off at auctions.nhl.com. More information on Hockey Fights Cancer Night is available here.

Projected lineup

53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
72 Tage Thompson - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 21 Kyle Okposo
17 Vladimir Sobotka - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
81 Remi Elie - 22 Johan Larsson - 28 Zemgus Girgensons
19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 4 Zach Bogosian
6 Marco Scandella - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark