Sabres at Islanders
THE STORY: Ryan Miller played well enough in his last start to become the Buffalo Sabres' all-time leader in wins - but he received no help from his teammates. He'll get another chance to set the club record Saturday as the Sabres take on the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. Miller took the loss in a 1-0 setback against the New York Rangers on Wednesday despite posting his second shutout of the season and remained tied with Dominik Hasek with 234 victories. Buffalo is 2-0-1 in its last three overall contests and has won two straight on the road following a 12-game losing streak away from home. The Islanders have earned at least one point in six of their last seven overall matches (5-1-1) and are 2-1-1 in four at home.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE SABRES (21-24-6): Thomas Vanek (team-high 19) is one of three Sabres with a double-digit goals total thus far this season. Buffalo will miss his offense as the Austrian again will be out of action with an upper-body injury. It is unknown when Vanek will be able to return to action. "He's going to be out for a period of time," coach Lindy Ruff said. "Our initial thought is maybe a week, but our doctor is going to have to evaluate it. It's the type of injury we're going to have to dig a little deeper on."
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (21-22-7): John Tavares has been on a tear, recording at least one point in 14 of his last 16 games. During that span, the All-Star has notched 11 goals and 15 assists. Defenseman Mark Eaton ended a lengthy drought when he scored the winning goal in overtime against Ottawa on Friday. It was Eaton's first tally since Nov. 28, 2009 while with Pittsburgh, a span of 120 games.
OVERTIME:
1. The Sabres have lost six of the last seven meetings between the teams and five of six at New York.
2. Neither club has fared well against the other's division lately. Buffalo has lost nine of 10 against the Atlantic, while New York has dropped four of six vs. the Northeast.