Sabres at Canucks
Two of the five worst teams in the NHL face off Thursday when the Vancouver Canucks host the Buffalo Sabres. Vancouver matched a season high for goals in a 6-2 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday, but sits 13 points behind Colorado for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference while Buffalo is vying for its first three-game winning streak of the season but its 35 points are only two more than NHL-worst Arizona.
Canucks coach Travis Green inserted Bo Horvat on a line with Loui Eriksson and Thomas Vanek, and the trio produced three goals and five assists Tuesday. "I thought putting Horvat with Loui and Vanek would give both of them a little bit of life, a little bit of energy,'' Green told reporters. "Both those guys know they are going to play a lot when they play with Bo and they are going to get offensive chances." The Sabres have won four straight versus the Pacific Division after beginning its three-game trip with victories over Calgary 2-1 in overtime Monday and Edmonton 5-0 on Tuesday. Vancouver has won four straight meetings, including 4-2 at Buffalo on Oct. 20 in the first of two meetings this season behind a pair of goals and an assist from the since-retired Derek Dorsett (neck).
TV: 10 p.m. ET, MSG Buffalo, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE SABRES (13-26-9): Jack Eichel (team highs of 20 goals and 49 points) had a goal and three assists Tuesday, giving him five and nine during a seven-game point streak. Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists Tuesday for his third multi-point game of the season and has a firm grasp of Buffalo's situation. "We know where we're at and it's not just one game that's going to do anything at this point,'' Reinhart told reporters. "We need to be consistent and all we can do is take it day by day, and this was another step for us. Right now, we're all on the same page and I think that was evident (Tuesday)."
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (19-23-6): Green also shifted Calder Trophy candidate Brock Boeser to the top line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin and he responded with two goals, giving him an NHL rookie-most 24 on the season. Boeser also leads the club with 43 points with Vanek (14 goals) second at 35, followed by Henrik (30 assists, 32 points) and Daniel (11 goals, 30 points). Defenseman Erik Gudbranson (minus-2, 17:44 ice time per game) has missed the last three contests with a back injury and remains day-to-day.
OVERTIME
1. Each team scored three power-play goals Tuesday as Buffalo is 8-for-21 in its last seven games and Vancouver 7-for-19 over its past six contests with the man advantage.
2. Sabres LW Evander Kane (16 goals, 36 points) has been kept off the scoresheet for the last four games and has only one goal and one assist in 10 January contests.
3. Horvat and D Chris Tanev (each plus-7) are the only Canucks with a plus rating while no one on the Sabres' current roster boasts a plus number.