Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Rangers

NEW YORK – The theme of growth has been a constant talking point this season for the Buffalo Sabres, and that inevitably comes with ebbs and flows. 

“We’ve had the luxury of misery in the past, the luxury of misery this season to really gain a greater understanding of details, of certain areas that you need to be disciplined in,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. 

Now, the luxury that the Sabres possess is being within striking distance of a playoff spot with four games left, in what is expected to be another playoff-like environment when the puck drops at 7 p.m. between the Sabres and the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. 

“Anytime you come to Madison Square Garden and know you play a good team, you know you have to be ready for it,” Granato said. “I think that does help in preparation, knowing that you’ve got to be on your game.”

The Sabres have navigated through the pain of struggle. They’re now situated in a place that’s hardly comfortable, being on the outside looking in, but a 6-1-1 stretch has them feeling better about themselves as the stakes continuously rise. 

“We’ve grown a lot in situational awareness,” Granato said. “We’ve grown a lot in respecting the details that need to keep the game tight.”

Video: PREGAME: Granato

Buffalo is expecting yet another tight-checking, closely contested game tonight in their third and final meeting with the Rangers. The Sabres are 1-0-1 with a pair of overtime games under their belt. Matchups are key coming down the stretch for the Sabres and despite having a young team, recent familiarity with the Rangers will help in that category tonight. 

“You know the players who have been in the league for five or ten years,” Granato said. “But that doesn’t mean the new guys entering the league know the ins and outs of all the detail. They may have their hockey card, but what do they do on zone entry? How well do they protect the puck? What do they do on faceoffs?”

With a busy week that includes four games in five nights and a pair of back-to-backs, the Sabres know every game from here on out is a must-win situation. 

“That is the focus along with trying to win the next game in front of you and our guys have been very dialed in with that,” Granato said. 

Puck drop tonight is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on MSG and WGR 550, with pregame coverage on MSG beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

Here are five things to know.

1. Levi in net

Devon Levi was in the starter’s net and is expected to make his fourth straight start. Over the weekend, Granato said he felt the rookie netminder gave his team the best chance to win. 

Levi’s NHL debut came against New York on March 31. He is 3-1 in four starts this season with a 3.17 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.

 2. The lineup

Here’s how the lines looked this morning:

April 10 at New York Rangers LW C RW 53 Jeff Skinner 37 Casey Mittelstadt 89 Alex Tuch 12 Jordan Greenway 24 Dylan Cozens 72 Tage Thompson 77 JJ Peterka 17 Tyson Jost 22 Jack Quinn 28 Zemgus Girgensons 19 Peyton Krebs 21 Kyle Okposo       LD RD G 26 Rasmus Dahlin 23 Mattias Samuelsson 27 Devon Levi 25 Owen Power 10 Henri Jokiharju 31 Eric Comrie 61 Riley Stillman 46 Ilya Lyubushkin 1 Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen     41 Craig Anderson 3. Dynamic Dahlin

Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin scored a goal and registered two assists in a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Dahlin is riding a five-game point streak and an assist tonight would give him at least one helper in six straight games for the first time in his career. 

Read more about Dahlin’s performance against the Hurricanes here.

 4. Mittelstadt making the most of things

Casey Mittelstadt has recorded 11 points (2+9) in his last seven games, which is two more points than he’s scored in any other seven-game span in his career. 

Mittelstadt has settled in skating on the top line with Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner recently and recorded his third-career multi-goal game on Saturday against the Hurricanes. 

“They make the game easy too,” Mittelstadt said. “They’re both pretty good players.”

You can read more about Mittelstadt’s recent success here.

 5. The standings

Here’s how the Wild Card picture looks entering tonight: 

TeamGPPointsP%Reg. WROW WC1 – Florida Panthers 80 91 .569 36 40 WC2 – New York Islanders 80 91 .569 35 40 Pittsburgh Penguins 80 90 .563 31 39 Buffalo Sabres 78 85 .545 29 37

And here the other games tonight to keep an eye on:

The Penguins host the Blackhawks at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.