Buffalo Sabres host the Atlanta Thrashers - NHL Previews
The first game of the Wednesday will be hosted by the Buffalo Sabres as will square off against the Atlanta Thrashers. This is the third of the four scheduled meetings due to take place between the two sides. This will also be the first meeting between the
two teams during this year.
The Sabres won the first game 4-1 while the second game saw the Thrashers emerge as 4-3 winners of the game after overtime. Dustin Byfuglien scored the winning goal for the Thrashers will Ryan Miller came up with 17 saves in the first game for the Sabres.
Both the teams are very tight in the league with the play-off race heating up. Both the teams are very close and have 60 points each which puts them four points behind the final play-off position. Both these teams have been going through some tough times
as they have lost their last three games and this game gives them the opportunity to snap the losing streak.
For the Thrashers, Blake Wheeler comes into the Thrashers and in his first practice session with the Thrashers he felt that he was playing on home after coming here from the Boston Bruins.
"Blake made a comment about it right off the bat because it's a hard drill," Coach Craig Ramsay said. "They saw one of the old drills coming out pretty quick."
Wheeler accompanied with Mark Stuart was traded to the Thrashers this past Friday. "I view this as a great opportunity and a great challenge," Wheeler said. "It really couldn't have been a more perfect situation having Rammer here already, having worked
with him pretty extensively in the past few years on the penalty kill. That makes everything a lot easier in itself. Philosophy-wise, you know where he is coming from."
The Thrashers have played 60 games so far out of which they have won 25 games in regulation time, 10 games in overtime and scored 60 points. On the other hand, the Sabres have played 58 games and won 27 games in regulation time, six games in overtime to
score 60 points.
This will be Sabres first game under their new owner Terry Pegula who took over the team this past Tuesday.
"It's very exciting," Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta said. "We're focused with what we have to do on the ice, but things going on off the ice are exciting."
"It's not on the top of our list because we have to focus on playing hockey, but it's still on your mind. When you finally find out that it's actually happened, it's pretty cool."
The game is definitely going to be tough and very exciting considering the close things in the play-off running with both teams right on each other’s tail in ninth and tenth positions respectively. Though don’t have much to back them in the recent few games
but both the teams are offensively very strong which would result in a very explosive game.
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