Jackets chase second straight as they visit Sabres

BLUE JACKETS (1-7-1) at SABRES (5-3-0)

TV: FS-O (HD), MSG-B

Season Series: This is the first of two meetings between the teams. They will meet again in Columbus on Nov. 25.

Big Story: After going winless in their first eight games of the season, the Blue Jackets finally earned their first victory Tuesday night. Ryan Johansen and R.J. Umberger each had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win against Detroit at Nationwide Arena.

"I don't think anyone in that dressing room has been through anything like the three weeks of hell we've been through," coach Scott Arniel said. "A lot of baggage came with it. I thought the Dallas game (a 3-2 loss last Tuesday) we played well and didn't get rewarded. In Ottawa we played well for 59 minutes. … Tonight everyone in the lineup stepped up and played a part.

"We were energized for 60 minutes. I'm glad for those guys to get that monkey off their back."

Team Scope:

Blue Jackets: Columbus might be 1-7-1 on the season, but it's 1-0 with James Wisniewski in the lineup. The Blue Jackets' free-agent signee, who was suspended for the first eight games of the season, made his debut Tuesday night and played more than 27 minutes.

"It's tough to say that one guy can win a hockey game," goalie Steve Mason said. "But having Wiz back there is huge. His confidence, not just in the way he plays but in the way he carries himself, kind of rubs off on the guys, especially the younger guys.

"He's a real vocal guy in the dressing room, which was great to have tonight. Just a confident presence on the blue line, and hopefully we don't have to go long stretches without him. "

Sabres: Nathan Gerbe made it a one-goal game at 19:10 of the third period, but Buffalo couldn't find the equalizer and suffered a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the First Niagara Center on Tuesday night. After getting off to a 5-1-0 start, the Sabres were swept in their home-and-home series with the Bolts.

"We got on them hard, we skated well, and did some good things early on," captain Jason Pominville said. "After that, we kind of slipped away from our game."

Who's Hot: Rick Nash and Vinny Prospal each have 3 goals and 5 assists in nine games for Columbus. … Buffalo forward Thomas Vanek scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season Tuesday night. Pominville has 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in eight games.

Injury Report: Jeff Carter (foot), Kristian Huselius (torn pectoral muscle), Mark Dekanich (ankle), Curtis Sanford (groin) and Jared Boll (thumb) are out for the Blue Jackets, while Radek Martinek (concussion) and Marc Methot (thumb) are day-to-day. … For the Sabres, Tyler Ennis (ankle) is week-to-week. Jochen Hecht is out with a concussion.

Stat Pack: Prior to Tuesday night, the Blue Jackets had won only once in regulation in their last 30 games. … Sabres forward Brad Boyes became just the 20th player in NHL history to appear in 500 consecutive games. He also ended an 18-game scoring drought Tuesday night, his first tally since March 19.

Puck Drop: "We all have to get better. We all have to improve here. It's not good enough at home. You can credit bounces and teams are tough to play against, but in the end, we lost a hockey game. We've got to figure out how to do it better." -- Sabres goalie Ryan Miller

I'll be in a suite. If they show a bunch of jackass hooligans singing and chanting, it's us.

I swear to god if Center Ice shows me the Fox sports feed I may put several objects (inanimate and otherwise) through a wall.

I'll bet you five hundred dollars the HD will be Fox Sports.

no dice

but I don't care about HD right now...SD with RJ works.

I swear to god if Center Ice shows me the Fox sports feed I may put several objects (inanimate and otherwise) through a wall.

Your comment sounds to me like the commercial where the guy says "give me a light beer. I don't care about taste." To me, SD is like trying to drink a Coors after you've had a Sierra Nevada. Why have cube steak if you can have T-bone?

Just buy NHL Gamecenter Live and HDMI it to your TV. 95% of the time I can choose the Buffalo feed.

The Sabres (5-3) will skate without defenseman Mike Weber (healthy) and forward Jochen Hecht (concussion) for the ninth straight time to start the season. As expected from someone who played in 58 regular-season games and all seven playoff outings last year, Weber isn't taking the demotion well.

"Not very well, and no player should," coach Lindy Ruff said. "He was a good part of our team last year. It’s a tough situation. There’s some things that I’m still trying to make up my mind on, the importance of certain individuals and whether we should rotate a couple of individuals. Short term, he’s the guy that’s taking the bullet."

i shall be in attendance for this one

DAMMIT WHY IS WEBER STILL OUT WHAT THE FUCK? FUCK GRAGNANI, HE LOOKS LIKE A BAG OF SHIT!