Game 2 Preview: Canadiens vs Sabres

Less than 24 hours after dropping their first game of the season against the Leafs, the Canadiens are at it again this time heading out to Buffalo to face the Sabres.

The first of many back-to-back games this season due to the condensed schedule, the Canadiens must have instant amnesia after dropping their season opener to the Maple Leafs last night.

The Sabres open their season at home after an off-season filled with drama what with the Jack Eichel situation. Buffalo is in full rebuild and shouldn’t pose too much of a threat, but they’re still an NHL team and their young up and coming stars such as Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt, Dylan Cozens and Henri Jokiharju shouldn’t be taken lightly. Veterans Jeff Skinner, Kyle Okposo, and Victor Olofsson have a lot to redeem after a disastrous 2020-21 season which saw the Sabres miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.

Only one change has been confirmed by head coach Dominique Ducharme as Samuel Montembault will get the nod and face off against veteran netminder Craig Anderson.

Here are some notables for both teams:

Buffalo Sabres

2020-2021 record: 

Head Coach: Don Granato

Captain: None

Notable Injuries: Jack Eichel (neck – indefinite)

Projected Lineup: 

Forwards

Jeff Skinner – Casey Mittelstadt – Vinnie Hinostroza

Rasmus Asplund – Tage Thompson – Victor Olofsson

Anders Bjork – Dylan Cozens – Drake Caggiula

Zemgus Girgensons – Cody Eakin – Kyle Okposo

Defence

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Jacob Bryson – Colin Miller

Robert Hagg – Mark Pysyk

Goalies

Craig Anderson

Dustin Tokarski

Montreal Canadiens

2021-2022 record: 0-1-0 (0 Points) 7th in Atlantic Division

Head Coach: Dominique Ducharme

Captain: Shea Weber

Notable Injuries: Shea Weber (undisclosed – indefinite), Carey Price (torn meniscus + Player Assistance Program – indefinite), Paul Byron (hip Surgery – 2-3 months), Joel Edmundson (undisclosed – week-to-week), Mike Hoffman (lower body injury – (week-to-week), Sami Niku (Concussion – Indefinite)

Projected Lineup: 

Forwards

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Cole Caufield

Jonathan Drouin – Christian Dvorak – Josh Anderson

Joel Armia – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher

Artturi Lehkonen – Cedric Paquette – Matthieu Perreault

Defence

Brett Kulak – Jeff Petry

Ben Chiarot – David Savard

Alexander Romanov – Chris Wideman

Goalies

Jake Allen

Samuel Montembeault