Hurricanes vs. Sabres: Game Time, Preview, How to Watch

Date & Time: Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.

Carolina wins if…

The ‘Canes are hurt, and a team like Buffalo knows it, so this will be a true test of this young team’s resolve in hopes of getting that first win of the season. Bill Peters knows he has a challenge as a new head coach, and this is his first big obstacle since coming to Carolina in getting the troops ready and motivated to play tonight.

The team still has two of their top scorers, Jiri Tlusty (3 goals) and Alex Semin (2 goals) on the lines tonight and will need them to step up. It could also bring up a chance for young talent like Riley Nash and Victor Rask to make a name for themselves on national television.

Look for Carolina to also hope for power play opportunities given that they rank tied for third in the NHL so far with a man advantage.

With that comes the price of lacking on power play defense, having given up four goals to the Islanders on the power play in the first two games of the season.

Cam Ward will also get another start in net, and he and Anton Khudobin have to improve if there is to be a real battle for netminder starts for the Hurricanes.

About Buffalo…

The Sabres have also found themselves in a similar situation, searching for a win after a humiliating 5-1 home loss to Anaheim on Sunday, pushing back their record to 0-3.

Head coach Ted Nolan has expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance so far and will shake things up on the lines to try and find something that clicks.

Oct 3, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Buffalo Sabres forward Cody Hodgson (19) carries the puck up the ice during the 2nd period against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Cody Hodgson is being moved back to his natural position of center, so it will be interesting to see how he plays.

Despite their woes, Buffalo’s PK unit has looked fairly decent so far, going 5/6 so far in the early season. They haven’t scored with the man advantage yet on three opportunities.

Projected Lines – Carolina

Jiri Tlusty – Victor Rask – Elias Lindholm

Nathan Gerbe – Riley Nash – Alexander Semin

Brad Malone – Jay McClement – Patrick Brown

Chris Terry – Zach Boychuk

Andrej Sekera – Justin Faulk

John-Michael Liles – Tim Gleason

Jay Harrison – Ryan Murphy

Brett Bellemore

Cam Ward

Anton Khudobin

Projected Lines – Buffalo

Matt Moulson – Tyler Ennis – Drew Stafford

Torrey Mitchell – Zemgus Girgensons – Brian Gionta

Marcus Foligno – Cody Hodgson – Chris Stewart

Nicolas Deslauriers – Sam Reinhart – Cody McCormick

Josh Gorges – Tyler Myers

Andre Benoit – Rasmus Ristolainen

Mike Weber – Tyson Strachan

Jhonas Enroth

Michal Neuvirth

Inactives – Carolina

Eric Staal (upper body) – day-to-day
Patrick Dwyer (lower body) – day-to-day
Jeff Skinner (concussion) – injured reserve since Oct. 5
Jordan Staal (fractured fibula) – injured reserve since Sept. 23

Inactives – Buffalo

Matt Hackett (lower body) – injured reserve since Oct. 9
Patrick Kaleta (upper body) – injured reserve since Oct. 9
Jake McCabe (middle body) – injured reserve since Oct. 9
Mark Pysyk (upper body) – injured reserve since Oct. 9

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