Coyotes at Sabres
THE STORY: The Buffalo Sabres had to be curious about how Jhonas Enroth would react to adversity. Enroth provided a definitive answer Friday night, rebounding from his first defeat in nearly a year to register his first shutout of the season with a sparkling 34-save performance in a 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Given that Enroth has inherited the No. 1 goaltending job with Ryan Miller out indefinitely due to a concussion, the masterpiece against Carolina was a huge boost for the Sabres - particularly since the 23-year-old Swede was yanked in his previous game after allowing five goals on 19 shots. With one potential worry scratched off the checklist, Buffalo can address a more pressing concern when it hosts the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night. The Sabres have won only four of nine games at First Niagara Center and will look to turn things around against an opponent they have beaten five straight times.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE COYOTES (9-5-3): Despite Mike Smith’s 40 saves, Phoenix had its five-game road winning streak snapped in Thursday’s 2-1 loss at Philadelphia, a game in which the winning goal came with 18.6 seconds to play. It was the second regulation loss in 11 games (7-2-2) for the Coyotes. Phoenix has converted only 1 of 19 power-play chances in its last seven games. The penalty kill has offset that by stopping 22 of the last 23 chances.
ABOUT THE SABRES (12-7-0): Jason Pominville scored the only goal Friday to extend his points streak to six games. Thomas Vanek matched Pominville’s points streak by assisting on the tally. Like Phoenix, the Sabres have also excelled while shorthanded, killing off 90.9 percent (7-for-70) of man-advantage situations to rank third in the league. Saturday’s game caps a stretch of six in nine days for Buffalo, which moved into sole possession of first place in the Northeast Division.
OVERTIME:
1. Buffalo is playing the third of four straight weekend back-to-backs. The Sabres are scheduled for a league-high 21 back-to-backs this season after having 22 last season.
2. Buffalo has outscored the Coyotes 18-5 during its five-game winning streak over Phoenix.