Sabres at Blue Jackets
THE STORY:
The Buffalo Sabres have been decimated by injuries of late, but they'll receive no sympathy from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Saddled with the NHL's fewest points (13), the Blue Jackets received salt in their gaping wound of a season when starting goaltender Steve Mason was injured during Wednesday's morning skate. While Mason has struggled, backup Curtis Sanford has collected at least one point in all four of his starts (2-0-2). The 32-year-old Sanford will look to keep the beleaguered Blue Jackets heading in the right direction on Friday when they host the Sabres at Nationwide Arena. Buffalo knows a thing or two about dealing with a starting goaltender who is sidelined with a mild concussion. Jhonas Enroth has posted a 2-2-1 mark after former Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller was blasted by Boston Bruins tough guy Milan Lucic earlier this month. Buffalo has dropped two in a row following Wednesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Bruins, but will look to get healthy against Columbus. Enroth turned aside 41 shots in a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jackets on Oct. 27.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG, FSOH
ABOUT THE SABRES (12-8-1): Miller isn't the only one missing from Buffalo's lineup. With former Calder Trophy winner Tyler Myers sidelined 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist, rookie defenseman T.J. Brennan made his debut against the Bruins in promising fashion. He became the first Buffalo defenseman to score in his opening game since coach Lindy Ruff laced up the skates on Oct. 11, 1979. Thomas Vanek, who leads the team with 12 goals, has collected at least one point in all but four games this season.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (5-13-3): Vinny Prospal, who leads the team with six goals and 19 points, has collected a goal and four assists in his last three games. The 36-year-old Czech, who scored against Buffalo last month, has scored 13 times in 51 career outings versus the Sabres. Columbus saw its first winning streak in 42 games come to an end after Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils.
OVERTIME: 1. Buffalo boasts the NHL's fourth-best penalty kill with an impressive 88.3 percent success rate. Conversely, Columbus is second-worst in the league in that department (73.6).
2. Columbus is just 1-5-1 versus the Eastern Conference this season. The Blue Jackets have traditionally fared well versus Eastern representatives, posting a 38-17-9 mark in the last four campaigns.