Ducks at Sabres
Less than 24 hours after squandering a chance to climb into a playoff spot, the Anaheim Ducks get another opportunity as they wrap up their five-game road trip Tuesday against the Eastern Conference-worst Buffalo Sabres. Anaheim, which is one point out of both third place in the Pacific Division and the second wild card in the Western Conference, began its trek with a win in Boston but has dropped three straight (0-2-1) - including Monday's 7-4 decision at Toronto.
Rickard Rakell has been red-hot for the Ducks, collecting three goals and five assists during a four-game streak that has seen him record three multi-point performances. The 24-year-old Swede reached the 20-goal plateau for the third consecutive season after scoring twice against the Maple Leafs and leads Anaheim with 21 tallies and 44 points. Buffalo has lost the first three contests of its five-game homestand and has scored a total of four goals while dropping four straight overall at KeyBank Center. The Sabres, who all but certainly will miss the playoffs for the seventh season in a row, are coming off a 1-0 setback against St. Louis on Saturday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Anaheim), MSG (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (25-19-10): Corey Perry matched a career high by registering four assists in Monday's defeat after notching just one over his previous 12 games. The 32-year-old former Hart and Maurice Richard Trophy winner, who also recorded four assists on Oct. 31, 2008 versus Vancouver, is one goal away from having reached double digits in each of his 13 NHL campaigns. Ondrej Kase ended his seven-game goal-scoring drought on Monday and is second on the team with a career-high 13 tallies.
ABOUT THE SABRES (14-29-9): Jack Eichel leads the team in both goals (20) and points (49) but has been kept off the scoresheet in four straight games. The 21-year-old center is five tallies away from setting a new career high after scoring 24 times in each of his first two NHL seasons. Evander Kane ranks second on the club with 36 points but is mired in an eight-game drought and has notched just one assist over his last 12 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Sabres LW Benoit Pouliot's next appearance will be his 600th in the NHL.
2. Anaheim has lost six of its last eight away from home (2-4-2).
3. Buffalo G Robin Lehner has stopped 120-of-123 shots over his last four games, posting a pair of shutouts in that span.