john1981cr
Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 111
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| Tell a Friend Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:54 am Post subject: NHL Spotlight Game |
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By Rich Carlson
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
Buffalo Sabres (22-5-2) at New Jersey Devils (17-9-2), 7 p.m. ET
Two of the NHL’s elite teams will square off Tuesday evening when the Buffalo Sabres travel to the Continental Airlines Arena to face the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres have posted the second-best record in the NHL and have a comfortable nine-point lead in the Northeast Division. The Devils have recorded the league’s best home record (11-1-1) on their way to first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Sabres possess the NHL’s top-ranked offense as they average 3.97 goals per game. LW Thomas Vanek and C Chris Drury lead the Sabres with 17 goals apiece, while RW Maxim Afinogenov has tallied 21 assists. G Ryan Miller has been superb between the pipes for the Sabres with a 15-3 record, 2.70 goals against average and .914 save percentage. The Sabres have been the model of consistency all season and have not lost consecutive games this year.
The Devils are once again riding the coattails of G Martin Brodeur, who has posted a 17-9 record with a brilliant 2.19 goals against average. RW Brian Gionta leads the Devils attack with 12 goals, while LW Jamie Langenbrunner has added 11 goals. If the Devils can start playing better on the road (6-8-1), they have a legitimate shot at reaching the Stanley Cup finals.
This will be the first matchup between the Sabres and Devils this year.
Injury report
New Jersey: RW Cam Janssen (shoulder) is on injured reserve and will be out until at least mid-December; D Richard Matvichuk (back) is on injured reserve and will be out indefinitely.
Buffalo: D Teppo Numminen (toe) is out indefinitely; C Tim Connolly (concussion) is on injured reserve and will be out until at least late January; D Henrik Tallinder (wrist) is on injured reserve and will be out until at least mid-December.
News & notes
The St. Louis Blues fired head coach Mike Kitchen on Monday night and replaced him with former Los Angeles Kings coach Andy Murray. The Blues have the worst record in the NHL (7-17-4) and are in the middle of a seven-game losing streak. |
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