Oilers at Sabres
THE STORY: The Edmonton Oilers' first win on a seven-game road trip came at an immense cost, leaving the club potentially shorthanded for its Tuesday tilt with the host Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton won for the first time in four tries during the trip, shading the powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Monday. The Oilers finished the game without rookie scoring leader Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) and defenseman Tom Gilbert (knee), both of whom are question marks for Tuesday. The Oilers meet a Sabres club that has faced its own share of struggles, having lost eight of its last 10 games. Buffalo is 1-2-1 since the holiday break and has dropped three straight games overall. Fortunately for the Sabres, meetings with Edmonton have been kind to them in recent years - they have yet to lose to the Oilers since the 2005 lockout.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet Edmonton, MSG Buffalo
ABOUT THE OILERS (16-19-3): Nugent-Hopkins is no longer the runaway leader for Calder Trophy contention as the league's top rookie. The 18-year-old was a runner-up to New Jersey's Adam Henrique for December Rookie of the Month honors after registering only eight points in 12 games in the month. His lead over Henrique is only seven points - and with Nugent-Hopkins' immediate status up in the air, that advantage could shrink even further.
ABOUT THE SABRES (17-17-4): Buffalo has been largely underwhelming after coming into the season with plenty of hype following a summer spending spree. A major part of the problem has been the play of new additions Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino, who have been total busts. Ehrhoff has only 17 points and a minus-11 rating through 37 games so far this season, while Leino has 10 points and is a minus-7 through 29 contests.
OVERTIME:
1. Buffalo has won the last five meetings - including a 10-2 rout on Jan. 27, 2009, a result then-Oilers coach Craig MacTavish labeled "a debacle of monumental proportions."
2. The Sabres have been one of the worst teams against the spread this season, going 13-25.
3. Despite sitting 13th in the West, the Oilers actually have a better goal differential (minus-3) than four teams in front of them.