Carolina Hurricanes Look for First Win of the Season Against Buffalo Sabres
By Brett Finger
Going into Tuesday night’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Buffalo Sabres, there are four teams in the Eastern Conference who are without wins. The Canes and Sabres are among those teams.
Tuesday night will be a night of firsts for one team, and both teams are hoping to catch their first win of the young season at the PNC Arena.
Information:
Time: 7:30 pm (ET)
TV: NBCSN (Nationally Televised)
Radio: 99.9 FM The Fan
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Carolina Hurricanes Lineup (as of 10/13/14)
Forwards
Line 1: Jiri Tlusty – Victor Rask – Elias Lindholm
Line 2: Nathan Gerbe – Riley Nash – Alexander Semin
Line 3: Brad Malone – Jay McClement – Patrick Brown
Line 4: Chris Terry – Zach Boychuk – Brett Bellemore
Defense
Line 1: Andrej Sekera – Justin Faulk
Line 2: Tim Gleason – John-Michael Liles
Line 3: Ryan Murphy – Jay Harrison
Goalies
Starter: Cam Ward
Backup: Anton Khudobin
Buffalo Sabres Lineup (as of 10/13/14)
Forwards
Line 1: Matt Moulson – Tyler Ennis – Drew Stafford
Line 2: Cody Hodgson – Zemgus Girgensons – Chris Stewart
Line 3: Torrey Mitchell – Sam Reinhart – Brian Gionta
Line 4: Nicolas Deslauriers – Cody McCormick – Brian Flynn
Defense
Line 1: Josh Gorges – Tyler Myers
Line 2: Andre Benoit – Rasmus Ristolainen
Line 3: Mike Weber – Andrej Meszaros
Goalies
Starter: Jhonas Enroth
Backup: Michal Neuvirth
Carolina Hurricanes Outlook
The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off a rough opening weekend in their home-and-home set against the New York Islanders. After losing both games against the Isles, the Hurricanes are still searching for their first win of the 2014-2015 season, but it will not be easy against the Sabres on Tuesday night.
With Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Patrick Dwyer, and Jeff Skinner all out due to injury on Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes are very thin at forward. Brett Bellemore, a defenseman, had to play the wing on a line with Chris Terry and Zach Boychuk at Monday’s practice due to lack of forward depth.
Victor Rask and Riley Nash will likely see their time on ice in the high teens on Tuesday, so there will be a lot of pressure on them to perform. Without the Staal brothers, the center position for the Hurricanes goes from a strength to a big weakness.
The play of the third line will be key on Tuesday against the Sabres. Jay McClement, Patrick Brown, and Brad Malone will be the defensive line, and they will be tasked with shutting down the Buffalo offense.
Luckily for Carolina, there are no injuries on the blue line or in net, so they will be at full strength in those areas going into Tuesday night’s game.
It looks like Cam Ward will get the start in net for the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Ward allowed 5 goals on 26 shots on opening night (October 10) against the New York Islanders in a 5-3 loss.
The Hurricanes lost to the Sabres 2-0 on September 23 and defeated the Sabres 5-1 on October 3 in 2014 preseason play.
Buffalo Sabres Outlook
Just like the Carolina Hurricanes, the Buffalo Sabres are still playing for their first win of the season, and they will look to get it on Tuesday night in Raleigh.
Buffalo’s offense is pretty strong in the top-six. The first line of Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis, and Drew Stafford should provide good offense for the Sabres while still staying relatively responsible defensively.
The Sabres are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night, so they will be worn down going into Tuesday’s game. If a well rested Hurricanes team has a fast start on Tuesday, it will be hard for Buffalo to fight back.
The Buffalo Sabres are allowing over 43 shots per game through 3 games this season while averaging just 19 shots per game. The Sabres have not scored a power play goal this season.
Sabres head coach Ted Nolan talked about Buffalo’s early-season struggles in detail on Monday.
“Two steps ahead, and we try to catch up and [we’re] out of position, not strong enough, not committed enough,” Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. “No desperation, that’s the bottom line. To me, that’s probably the most frustrating. We haven’t got a whole lot of superstars on our team. … The only way you’re going to stay in this League is you got to play with some kind of desperation, some kind of want that you actually want to play.”
For in-game updates during the game on Tuesday and all the games for the remainder of the season, follow Cardiac Cane on Twitter.