There will be two Game 7's in the NHL on Tuesday night, and the first one will play out at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as the No. 2-seeded Flyers host the No. 7-seeded Buffalo Sabres in the do-or-die, everything on the line final game of their first-round NHL playoff series.
Sabres Vs. Flyers, Game 7: Teams Battle For Right To Advance
Of course, the teams got to this point thanks to a furious Flyers comeback in Game 6, capped off by Ville Leino's overtime goal to send the series back to Philly. Buffalo originally got the big early lead in the contest thanks to some timely scoring, assisted by the atrocious goaltending of Michael Leighton.
For Game 7, it'll be Brian Boucher in the Flyers crease, while Leighton has reportedly been shoved all the way down to the fourth spot on the depth chart. Sergei Bobrovsky, the Flyers Game 1 starter, will be on the bench behind Boucher, while Johan Backlund and Leighton will watch from the stands.
The Sabres have a ton of injury concerns heading into the game. Derek Roy, who's been out since December, will return to the lineup, but there are questions about just how effective he will be as he wasn't very strong in the morning skate. Patrick Kaleta, who's been a thorn in the Flyers' sides all series long, will be out of the lineup with a hand issue. Jordan Leopold and Mike Grier are game-time decisions.
Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville are also out for the Sabres. Pominville left Game 5 in the first period after taking a skate to the back of the ankle and there's no timetable for his return. Connolly was injured on a hit from behind from Philly's Mike Richards in Game 6, and Lindy Ruff's bunch still isn't all that happy about the lack of suspension there.
It certainly feels like Philadelphia has the momentum and the confidence heading into the game, especially with all the injury concerns, but that certainly doesn’t mean the Sabres will be going down easily. They’ll be ready. It’s Game 7.
Tonight’s game can be seen on Versus in the United States and TSN in Canada at 7:30 p.m. ET. For more on the game, check in with our blogs: Broad Street Hockey for Flyers coverage, Die By The Blade on the Sabres. You can find full SBNation.com coverage here.
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