Bogosian, Ristolainen will be game-time decisions in Florida

SUNRISE, Fla. - Zach Bogosian and Rasmus Ristolainen will be game-time decisions for the Buffalo Sabres' game against the Florida Panthers tonight at BB&T Center.
Bogosian and Ristolainen both took maintenance days while the rest of the Sabres practiced on Monday. Matt Hunwick will have a precautionary day off due to a lower-body ailment, leaving Nathan Beaulieu and Casey Nelson as the team's two remaining options to step in on defense.
"Those will be game-time decisions," coach Phil Housley said. "[Beaulieu] is going to be ready, too. We've just got to make sure Bogosian and Ristolainen are going to be OK."

The Sabres will also be without alternate captain Kyle Okposo after further evaluations revealed that the forward sustained a concussion during a fight with New York Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo on Friday.
"It's one of those cases where our doctors had constant contact with Kyle," Housley said. "Obviously, he was diagnosed with a concussion. We have no timetable for that. It's unfortunate, but that's the status of Kyle."
Linus Ullmark will start in net for the Sabres, who are looking to snap a two-game losing skid after falling 4-1 in New Jersey to open a three-game road trip on Monday.
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 Panthers

Any conversation about the Panthers begins with the two-way threat centering their top line. That would be Aleksander Barkov, who leads the team with 57 points, is tied for second in the NHL with 78 takeaways and ranks second among league forwards with an average ice time of 22:49.
Barkov scored a hat trick during a four-point outing in Florida's win over Montreal on Sunday, including a between-the-legs backhand goal that will live on every season-ending highlight reel.
"We've just got to be aware of when he's on the ice," Housley said. "Now that they've got [forward Vincent] Trocheck back, they're pretty strong down the middle. But he has a major impact on that team, so we've got to be well-aware of when he's on the ice."
James Reimer will make his third straight start for the Panthers, who have won eight of their last 12 contests.

Numbers to know

17 -Sam Reinhart has tallied 17 points in 16 career games against the Panthers, including six straight multi-point efforts entering tonight's game. He's averaging 1.06 points per game against the Panthers, his best mark against any team.
Reinhart scored a goal in New Jersey on Sunday, his career-high 51st point of the season.
25.9 - The Panthers boast the third-ranked power play in the NHL at 25.9 percent. Keith Yandle is tied for fifth in the league with 28 power-play points, while Mike Hoffman is tied for seventh with 11 power-play goals.
713 - Jason Pominville will appear in his 713th regular-season game with the Sabres tonight, surpassing Alexei Zhitnik for sole possession of eighth place on the franchise's all-time list. Pominville also ranks eighth in franchise history in points (514) and assists (300).