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Sabres-Hurricanes Preview
Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes
- The Sabres beat the Maple Leafs, 2-1, on Monday and are now 2-0-0 for the second straight campaign and third time in the last five seasons overall. Buffalo has allowed 1.5 goals per game in its first two contests -- tied for third best in the league.
- Carolina lost, 4-1, to Tampa Bay on Tuesday and has now dropped its first two games of the season by a combined score of 9-2. The last time the Hurricanes started a season with three straight regulation losses was 1997-98.
- Including a split of four games last season, these two clubs have played 20 times since the beginning of 2007-08 and each has won 10 of those contests.
- Thomas Vanek (6) and Jason Pominville (5) have combined for 11 points thus far in 2012-13 -- most of any pair of teammates in the NHL. Both Vanek and Pominville had three goals and two assists vs. the Hurricanes in four games last season.
- Jeff Skinner scored the Canes' lone goal in Tuesday's loss and is one of just two Carolina skaters to light the lamp this season (Patrick Dwyer is the other). Skinner has four points (2g, 2a) in seven career games vs. the Sabres.
- Cam Ward has the highest GAA (6.00) and lowest save percentage (.789) of any netminder in the NHL this season.
By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
(AP) -- The Buffalo Sabres are hoping a solid start by goalie Ryan Miller is a sign of good things to come.
That's not so good for the Carolina Hurricanes, who have struggled to score coming out of the nine-month layoff.
The visiting Sabres seek their best start in four seasons and look to hand the Hurricanes their worst in 15 years Thursday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.
While Buffalo (2-0-0) aims to open with three straight wins for the first time since the 2008-09 season, Carolina (0-2-0) looks to avoid its first three-game start without a point since 1997-98.
That may be a difficult task against Miller, who will try to stay hot after stopping 34 shots in a 2-1 victory at Toronto on Monday.
"He is a very good goalie, one of the top goalies in the league for a reason," Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said.
While it's only been two games, Miller carries a 1.50 goals-against average into his matchup with the Hurricanes. The only time in Miller's nine previous seasons when he finished with a GAA under 2.50, he won the Vezina Trophy and led Buffalo to the Northeast Division title in 2009-10.
Miller, though, has lost seven of nine career starts in Raleigh, posting a 3.14 GAA. He allowed nine goals in three meetings with the Hurricanes last season, losing two.
Things could be different this time as he faces a Carolina team that has scored the fewest goals in the NHL.
The Hurricanes followed a season-opening 5-1 defeat at Florida with a 4-1 home loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
"There's no panic, but we've definitely got to find a way to work harder and find a way to win games," captain Eric Staal said.
Patrick Dwyer and Jeff Skinner have scored the team's two goals. Skinner has Carolina's only goal in 11 power-play opportunities.
The Sabres scored three power-play goals in a 5-2 win over Philadelphia on Sunday but had none a day later in Toronto. They were outshot 35-20 on Monday, but Cody Hodgson scored for the second straight game and Jason Pominville notched his first goal.
"We were just able to pull it out," Hodgson said. "It wasn't the prettiest, but we'll take it."
Thomas Vanek and Pominville are off to fast starts with six and five points, respectively. Each had three goals and two assists in last season's series with Carolina as the teams split four games.
Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward is 4-0-2 with 1.98 GAA in his last six against the Sabres but enters this matchup struggling. He's allowed eight goals on 38 shots for one of the league's worst GAAs (6.00).
Buffalo has gone 4-1-2 in its last seven trips to Carolina, but that regulation loss came in its most recent visit, 4-2 last Jan. 6.
These teams meet again Friday in Buffalo.
Updated January 23, 2013
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