Oct 20th: Canucks vs. Buffalo Sabres
After facing a stiff opponent in the Blues, the Canucks will face the enigmatic Buffalo Sabres.
On the eve of the regular season, the Sabres lost Jack Eichel to injury. They then lost their first game as well, 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens.
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With Eichel already out six to eight weeks, things went from bad to worse as Evander Kane was injured against the Habs.
However, the Sabres did get some good news, as Kyle Okposo made his debut with the team in their next game versus the Edmonton Oilers. They responded by handing the Oilers their first loss of the season, a 6-2 decision.
Which Sabres team will the Canucks be facing on Thursday night? Will Okposo spur them on to another victory or will the loss of Eichel and Kane prove too much against the (mostly) healthy Canucks?
Janik:
A comeback win for the Canucks — staying on playoff course. The Sabres will be a strong team in the future, but they are certainly beatable right now.
Gerald:
The Canucks start Markstrom in this game and they lose, reminding everyone that Markstrom is, at best, a league average goalie.
Ben:
A lot of this prediction is because I have Ryan O’Reilly and Robin Lehner (I waited too long to pick a goalie) on my fantasy hockey team. I need them to win for the sake of my fantasy hockey team
Jeff:
The Canucks probably should win this game; which means they will probably lose. Buffalo will surprise Vancouver early and the Canucks will not recover.
Also, why does Gerald write “Markstrom is a league-average goaltender” like that’s a bad thing? League average save percentage last season was .915, which is pretty darn good. Just throwing that out there.