Stars at Sabres
The Dallas Stars are within striking distance of the top spot in the ultra-competitive Central Division as they prepare to wrap up a four-game road trip with a visit to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. The Stars own a 5-1-1 record against the Atlantic Division opponents, including a 5-1 home romp over the Sabres on Nov. 4.
Dallas has earned five of six points on its trek but coach Ken Hitchcock was unhappy following another listless opening period in Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss at Columbus. "We want to move ahead, but what was disappointing was our start," Hitchcock said. "The start is a reflection of everybody. It's a reflection of the coaches; it's a reflection of the players." Buffalo was more disappointed with its finish, or lack of, in a 4-3 loss at the New York Rangers, allowing the deciding goal just 63 seconds after tying the game late in the third period. "A shift after a goal is huge and we were a little sloppy there. That cost us the game," defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen said.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), MSG-Buffalo
ABOUT THE STARS (26-17-4): Rookie defenseman Dillon Heatherington made his NHL debut at Columbus and acquitted himself well enough to earn another start against Buffalo. "He did a really good job. He was a sound player," said Hitchcock. "We sure liked what we saw, but let's get more games in and let's see where we're at." Backup netminder Kari Lehtonen, who earned the win at Boston on Monday in his first start in a month, will get the nod against Buffalo.
ABOUT THE SABRES (11-25-9): Jack Eichel, who leads the team in goals (18), assists (25) and points (43), set up a pair of tallies in the loss to the Rangers to give him eight points during a four-game streak. Kyle Okposo is emerging from his offensive funk, scoring in back-to-back games and collecting seven points during a three-game streak of his own. Sam Reinhart also had two assists versus New York, matching his point total from the previous 14 games.
OVERTIME
1. Stars F Tyler Seguin has 23 points in 24 games versus the Sabres, including a goal and an assist on Nov. 4.
2. Buffalo recalled F Nicholas Baptiste from Rochester of the American Hockey League.
3. Dallas has killed off all 10 penalties in the past four games.