Buffalo at Boston

The Sabres haven't made the playoffs in 14 consecutive seasons. Bad defense, poor penalty killing, and subpar goaltending ultimately cost them last season. Buffalo lost its opener, 4-0, to the Rangers on Thursday, but that score is misleading. Newcomer Alex Lyon made 29 saves and kept Buffalo within a goal for 55 minutes. The Sabres also killed all four of the Rangers' power plays while out-shooting New York, 37-33. Buffalo is well-positioned to challenge Boston. The Bruins are 2-0 under first-year head coach Marco Sturm, beating Washington and Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday. The victory against the Blackhawks came in overtime. So this is Boston's third game in four days, and the Bruins have a bigger game on deck, hosting the Lightning on Monday. The Sabres went 3-1 against the Bruins last season, outscoring Boston, 17-10. One of those victories came in a 7-2 game when Jeremy Swayman was in the net for Boston. Swayman allowed six goals in that game. Swayman is projected to be in goal today. Take the Sabres.