Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Columbus Blue Jackets (1-1-0) travel to Buffalo for a game with the Sabres (0-3-1) in the first of three meetings this season live from the First Niagara Center. The game can be live streamed here. Columbus fans can hear all of the hard-hitting action on 97.1 The Fan while Sabres fans can access it by turning their dials to WGR 550.
Buffalo is still searching for its first win of the season as its lost each of its first four games by one goal, including its most recent loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime. The Blue Jackets are playing their second road game of the season after defeating the New York Islanders in a shootout on Saturday.
Columbus is playing in its first season as a member of the Eastern Conference, and though it has yet to hold a lead through its first two games of the season, the Blue Jackets have no plans of altering their game plan.
"[Our approach] is not going to change," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards told the Columbus Dispatch. "We'll get into certain things, the differences between a Buffalo and a Boston and how they play. But how we play is not going to change.
Brandon Dubinsky has two goals thus far for Columbus while Marian Gaborik and Jack Johnson each have a goal and an assist through the first two games of the season. Dubinsky had two goals and 18 assists for 20 points in his first season with Columbus last year.
The Sabres have been paced by Thomas Vanek and Cody Hodgson, who each have three points to lead the team in the early going of the season. Vanek is coming off of a season where he netted 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points while Hodgson notched 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 2013.
The Sabres received some good news as goaltender Ryan Miller is ready to return to action after missing the team's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday and serving as the backup Tuesday against the Lightning. Miller practiced Wednesday for the first time since being sidelined by a lower body injury during a game against the Ottawa Senators last Friday.
"I knew it was pretty minor. I was just being cautious. Jhonas [Enroth] was going to play in Pittsburgh anyways so I just took that opportunity to rest," Miller told the Sabres' website.
Miller allowed three goals on 80 shots while saving 77 of them in the team's first two games after going 17-17-5 with a 2.81 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 2013. The Blue Jackets counter with Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes, who has allowed six goals while stopping 54 of 60 shots so far this season. Bobrovsky, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, put up a 21-11-6 record in Columbus last season with a 2.00 GAA and a .932 save percentage.
Columbus looks to continue its strong start to its road trip while Buffalo hopes to finally notch its first win when these two teams hit the ice tonight.
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