Sabres at Canadiens
Two teams at opposite ends of the standings in the Atlantic Division face off Saturday as the Montreal Canadiens host the Buffalo Sabres. Montreal has vaulted itself into first place in the Atlantic thanks to its current nine-game point streak (8-0-1). The Canadiens enter with a four-game winning streak that was extended with a 2-1 home triumph over second-place Boston on Thursday.
Buffalo occupies the basement in the division - and the league - with 14 points. The Sabres dropped a 3-1 home decision to the New York Rangers on Thursday, their seventh defeat in eight games (1-6-1). Montreal won the first meeting of the season, a 3-1 triumph on Nov. 27 in which David Desharnais recorded a goal and an assist.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), CBC, RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE SABRES (6-21-2): Defenseman Jamie McBain showed no rust in his return to the lineup Thursday as he was second on the team with nearly 24 minutes of ice time. The 25-year-old was a healthy scratch for the team's previous four games but was back in action thanks to an injury to Alexander Sulzer. "Obviously, you want to get back in the lineup and earn your spot back," McBain said. "Any time your name's called, you're excited to get back in there."
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (18-9-3): Montreal's current surge has been fueled in a large way by Max Pacioretty and Carey Price. Pacioretty has scored nine goals in as many games, while Price has allowed two or fewer goals in nine consecutive contests. "There's a lot of character in this room and we all know we have a lot more to give," Pacioretty said after Thursday's win. "Certain guys are stepping up, like Carey tonight. He won the game for us."
OVERTIME
1. Buffalo's offense continues to struggle, with the club scoring fewer than three goals in seven of its last eight games.
2. Montreal has held its opponents under four goals in each of its last 13 games.
3. The Sabres are the only team in the NHL yet to reach the 20-point plateau.