Buffalo sucks

but you knew that already. The big story tonight will be Dainius Zubrus' first game against his former team since being traded away at the deadline. Zubrus will probably be bumped to the right wing (his natural position) in the game, where his primary responsibility will be shutting down The Russian Machine and Alexander "One shot, one kill" Semin. It should be interesting to see how he matches up, considering his defense is one of the main reasons Buffalo traded for him in the first place.

Per Tarik, Ovechkin had this to say about lining up against Zubrus:

"Sometimes I don't know where I go. So he will never know where I'm going. It will be a fun game if he plays against me because I know his moves, his strong side. It will be good -- for me."

The funny thing is, I don't really think he's kidding. Great offensive players generally don't so much think the game as they feel it. They make snap decisions in the flow of the game, which is what makes them so dangerous. And while I don't doubt Zubrus has an ever-so-slight advantage over much of the league in terms of knowing Ovie's tendencies, I don't think that will be enough to keep Ovechkin off the scoresheet tonight. Even if he does play with a bird cage on.

The other big question of the night centers on whether Sasha Semin can continue his scoring tear. With much of the BuffaSlugs attention focused on Ovechkin this season, Semin comes into this game a bit under the radar (which is insane for a player that's had 6 points in his last two games). If the Slugs cover Semin the way the media has leading up to this game (which is to say, not much at all) I wouldn't be surprised if he potted another pair.

Game time is 7 o'clock. Don't forget to watch along with your Danielle Briere voodoo doll (don't be afraid to twist it like a Stretch Armstrong). If that jerk gets his 30th against us, my head might explode.