Devils at Sabres
Even though they own the worst record in the Eastern Conference, the All-Star break couldn't have come at a worse time for the Buffalo Sabres, interrupting their best stretch of an otherwise abysmal season. Riding a season-high three-game winning streak, the Sabres look to continue their roll when they host the skidding New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
After dropping seven of eight to start the 2018 calendar year, Buffalo outscored the opposition 11-1 in completing a perfect three-game road trip through Western Canada prior to the break. "I think over the break here we've really got to reflect and understand why we're getting these results," said goaltender Robin Lehner, named the league's Third Star of the Week after registering back-to-back shutouts. "I mean, this was no fluke. We let in one goal in three games on this road trip." The Devils desperately needed the four-day break, having lost four in a row and 10 of their last 12 (2-7-3) -- a slide that started with a 4-3 home overtime defeat to Buffalo. New Jersey, which has won its last five visits to Buffalo, is sitting in fourth place in a tightly bunched Metropolitan Division that features the bottom seven teams separated by five points.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus2 (New Jersey), MSG-Buffalo
ABOUT THE DEVILS (24-16-8): New Jersey will welcome back some reinforcements, most notably leading scorer Taylor Hall, who was on a tear before sitting out the past three games due a thumb injury. Backup netminder Keith Kinkaid also was back at practice Monday after sitting out three games, a big development given that starter Cory Schneider remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Finally, defenseman Mirco Mueller, out since Nov. 12 with a broken left clavicle, also is ready to rejoin the lineup.
ABOUT THE SABRES (14-26-9): Lehner wasn't the only Buffalo player honored by the league Monday -- Jack Eichel was named the Second Star of the Week after collecting two goals and five points during the team's perfect road trip. Eichel was held off the scoresheet in Thursday's 4-0 win at Vancouver after amassing 14 points in his previous seven games, and he also scored twice to spark the Sabres' comeback in the late-December win at New Jersey. Kyle Okposo has three goals and 10 points in his last seven games.
OVERTIME
1. Sabres C Sam Reinhart has three goals and seven points in his last five games.
2. Hall has five goals and seven assists during a seven-game point streak.
3. Sabres D Zach Bogosian is done for the rest of the season after it was determined he needs hip surgery.