Anders Nilsson

Anders Nilsson draws the call on Thursday for Sabres

Buffalo Sabres goalie Anders Nilsson has been named the starter for Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What It Means:

Nilsson stopped 39 of 40 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. With Robin Lehner still battling the flu, Nilsson will return to the post for tonight's matchup with a 7-3-4 record, 2.37 goals-against-average and .930 save percentage on the year. The Lightning are tied for 12th in the league with 2.76 goals for per game.

Nilsson is numberFire's fifth-ranked goalie out of the 18 starters available on Thursday night. Our models project him for 2.6 goals allowed, 29.0 saves and a 45.0 percent chance of picking up the win.