Penguins Gameday #23 (Sabres)

Penguins (12-8-2, 26 pts) (2nd Atlantic, 5th East)

Sabres (8-11-3, 19 pts) (5th Northeast, 12th East)

Where: HSBC Arena

When: 7:00 ET

TV: FSNPIT

Hopefully the Pens' dads trip enjoyed their stay in Florida, because now they are heading off to Buffalo. But for as cold as it may be up there, the Pens are coming in red hot. 5-0-1 in their last 6, the Pens have worked their way right back into the mix with the top ranked teams like the Flyers and Caps and they can move up even further with a win against Buffalo. For the Sabres, the talent is there but they just cannot seem to put things together yet this season.

Opponents to Watch:

Derek Roy: Leads his team in goals, assists, points, and TOI. He's only about an inch taller than Chris Conner, but he sure does pack a punch,

Tyler Myers: Giant 6'8'' tree on the blue line that moves as well as anybody, this defending rookie of the year has established himself as a premiere NHL d-man.

Thomas Vanek: Buffalo's other scoring threat, Vanek provides the 1-2 tandem with Roy.


Keys to Victory:

-Attack whoever isn't Tyler Myers. It will probably be Sekera mostly, though Montador may also step in.

-I see Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz having big games because Buffalo's defense tends to zoom in on the star power (AKA Sid)

-Even if Buffalo does gain a substantial lead, keep chipping away because their defense does give up quite a few points.

Notes:

-Only Staal out for Pittsburgh

-Rob Niedermeyer is out for Buffalo. Ryan Miller will probably play, but he has been dealing with some groin problems of recent.