Everything you need to know ahead of Tampa Bay's matchup against the Sabres on Thursday.
When: Thursday, February 23 - 7 p.m. ET Where: AMALIE Arena - Tampa, FL TV coverage: Bally Sports Sun (check local listings) Radio coverage: 102.5 MHz-FM , Lightning Radio 24/7 Where to stream it: BallySports.com
Projected Lineup (subject to change) Forwards Brandon Hagel - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov Anthony Cirelli - Steven Stamkos - Alex Killorn Ross Colton - Nick Paul - Pat Maroon Vladislav Namestnikov - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - Corey Perry
Defensemen Victor Hedman - Zach Bogosian Ian Cole - Nick Perbix Mikhail Sergachev - Erik Cernak
Goaltenders Andrei Vasilevskiy Brian Elliott
Thursday's Matchup The Lightning and the Sabres are playing the third of four matchups this season and the second of two meetings at AMALIE Arena…The Bolts are 2-0-0 against BUF this season with a 5-3 win Nov. 5 at AMALIE Arena and a 6-5 overtime win Nov. 28 at KeyBank Center…Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with seven points in the two games vs. BUF this season (1-6-7)…Brayden Point leads Tampa Bay with three goals vs. BUF this season (3-1-4)…Brian Elliott has started both games vs. BUF this season and posted a 2-0-0 record with 53 saves on 61 shots against…Kucherov is riding an 11-game point streak vs. BUF (10-11-21) and has pointed in 20 of the last 21 meetings (14-18-32)…Kucherov has recorded at least one point in 10 straight home games vs. BUF (7-8-15)…Steven Stamkos has picked up points in four straight games vs. BUF (3-5-8)…Point has found the scoresheet in four consecutive games vs. BUF (3-3-6)…Brandon Hagel has scored a goal in all three of his career games vs. BUF (3-3-6)…Alex Killorn has recorded eight points over his last six games vs. BUF (3-5-8)…Anthony Cirelli has picked up points in five of his last six games vs. BUF (2-5-7)…Nick Paul has recorded a point in all three games vs. BUF since being acquired by the Lightning last season (1-2-3)…Victor Hedman has picked up nine points over his last 10 games vs. BUF (3-6-9)…Andrei Vasilevskiy has won six consecutive starts vs. BUF with a .906 save percentage and 2.47 goals against average…In 14 career games vs. BUF, Vasilevskiy is 12-1-1 with a .935 SV%, 1.77 GAA, two shutouts and one assist…In 27 career games vs. BUF, Elliott is 20-4-2 with a .931 SV%, 2.02 GAA and five shutouts…The Bolts have won seven consecutive home games vs BUF…The Lightning are 9-0-1 in their last 10 home games vs. BUF and 9-1-0 in the last 10 meetings overall…Tampa Bay has scored five or more goals in four consecutive games vs. BUF and seven of the last eight meetings…The Bolts penalty kill is operating at 94.1% over the last 13 games vs. BUF…The Lightning have scored four or more goals in eight of the last 10 games vs. BUF…The Bolts are 50-48-8 with five ties all-time vs. BUF, including a home record of 24-24-5 with three ties…Stamkos (21-23-44) holds the Tampa Bay franchise records for career goals and points vs. BUF.
Thursday's Storylines Tampa Bay is playing the second game of a brief, two-game homestand tonight…The Bolts will play just five of their 12 games in February on home ice…The Lightning are 9-6-0 against Atlantic Division opponents and 16-10-1 against the Eastern Conference this season…The Bolts are 22-4-2 on home ice this season and are riding a franchise record 15-game home point streak…Tampa Bay has scored three or more goals in nine consecutive home games and 24 of their 28 games at AMALIE Arena this season…The Lightning have scored a power-play goal in eight of their last nine home games…The Bolts penalty kill is 16-for-16 over the last five contests.
Injuries 2022-23 Regular Season Man Games Lost: 95 Current Injuries: None
The Road Ahead Saturday, February 25 at Detroit Red Wings Sunday, February 26 at Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday, February 28 vs. Florida Panthers
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