Sabres at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets had a chance to enter the All-Star break atop the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division, only to stumble with a pair of losses in which they scored one goal in each contest. Following a nine-day layoff that included their league-mandated break, the Blue Jackets will look to get back on track when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
Columbus, which sits four points back of the first-place New York Islanders and one behind defending Stanley Cup champion Washington, had won four in a row before the back-to-back defeats. Defenseman Seth Jones, who banged his left knee into a goal post at the All-Star Game, did not practice Monday but is expected to play Tuesday. The Sabres are four points out of the final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference but have dropped 16 of 23 since ripping off a 10-game winning streak. "I think (the break is) great. It gives us a reboot, a fresh start," Buffalo coach Phil Housley said. "Getting back to what we did in training camp. Getting back to work and focusing on areas we really need to improve."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-Buffalo, FS Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE SABRES (24-18-6): Buffalo had a hold-your-breath moment during Monday's practice session when All-Star forwards Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner -- the team's top two scorers -- were involved in a collision, leaving Eichel slow to get up. "It wasn't a good feeling," said Skinner, who slid into Eichel. "You're falling on your pants there and you don't have much control of where you're going or how to stop. But he's got pretty good reflexes and got out of the way pretty quick, so he was all right." Skinner collected a goal and an assist and Eichel set up a pair of goals in a 5-4 overtime loss at Columbus on Oct. 27.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (28-17-3): While the status of leading scorer Artemi Panarin and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky -- both impending free agents -- are hot-button topics in Columbus, Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis joined to team the past two days in his role as special teams consultant. "This isn't Marty coming in and thinking that he's going to change it here, that he's the answer," coach John Tortorella said. "It's just a different voice, a different look sometimes. When he sees certain plays, sometimes he may see it differently." The Blue Jackets rank 27th in the league, converting on 14.6 percent of their power-play chances.
OVERTIME
1. Blue Jackets All-Star F Cam Atkinson had two goals and an assist in the All-Star Game and identical numbers versus Buffalo on Oct. 27.
2. Eichel has amassed 31 of his 52 points in 24 road games while recording 11 in 10 contests versus Columbus.
3. Bobrovsky is 10-4-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average versus the Sabres.