Preview: Bruins open two-game set against the Sabres tonight

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7:00 PM

Where: TD Garden – Boston, MA

How to follow: NESN+, SN360, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Die By The Blade

Know your enemy

• 13-30-7, 33 points, last in the East Division
• Sam Reinhart: 48GP, 22G, 14A, 36PTS; Victor Olofsson: 50GP, 13G, 16A, 29PTS; Rasmus Dahlin: 50GP, 5G, 18A, 23PTS
• Dustin Tokarski: 2-8-2, 3.38 GAA, .908 save percentage

Game notes

• Tonight opens the final two-game set between the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres of the season. At home, the Bruins are 2-0 against them, with a 3-2 win and a 3-2 shootout victory.
• Half of the Bruins’ series against the Sabres has been crammed in the last ten days and it’s come at a good time for the Bs who can use as many points to distance themselves in the standings from the New York Rangers before they come to town.
• Last week during the road trip, the Bruins saw the Sabres for three consecutive games and came away with two wins and a loss that ended the Bs six-game win streak. In those games, the Bruins outscored the Sabres 11-7. Tuukka Rask earned his first shutout of the season in the first of the three games. Brad Marchand and Nick Ritchie had two goals. Marchand, David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall registered three points during the week’s set. Steven Kampfer had a career-best three-point night in the team’s 6-4 loss to the Sabres on April 23.
• Although they came away with two wins, the Bs played undisciplined and were shorthanded 14 times against the Sabres in the last three meetings. The Sabres capitalized twice and the Bruins couldn’t get anything going on their seven man-advantage opportunities.
• Hall has become an integral member of the lineup, with his own production and getting David Krejci going again. Since swapping teams, he’s registered four goals and three assists in nine games with the Bruins. In seven of those games, he has a plus 1 rating and has 30 shots on net. Against his former team, Hall has one goal and two assists.
• It will be interesting to see if any adjustments are made to the bottom six forwards, mainly if Jake DeBrusk will be a healthy scratch again or sub back in. Cassidy made a few changes during Tuesday’s game as he shifted Trent Frederic up and Ritchie down. Keep posted for an update from morning skate to see how lines are likely to shake out!
• Bruce Cassidy could go either way in net tonight. Cassidy mentioned that Jeremy Swayman is the second option in net currently behind Rask, as it’s harder to get Jaroslav Halak back in at this point with how the season is playing out.
• Rask has appeared in two games against Buffalo this season with a 1-0 record against them. He was pulled after 41 minutes on April 23 after letting in four goals; he did, however, register a secondary assist on the Bruins’ first goal. Rask has a secondary assist in each of his last two games.
• Swayman is 2-0 against the Sabres with three goals against. One of the wins was the April 13 shootout victory in the team’s first game since acquiring Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from Buffalo. Anders Bjork and Dylan Cozens both have two assists against him.

See ya tonight!