Sabres at Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers look to match a season high with their third straight victory when they host the sliding Buffalo Sabres on Thursday in a showdown between the league's two worst teams. After wrapping up a 2-1-1 road trip with a 2-1 triumph at Carolina, Edmonton began its six-game homestand with a 5-1 win over Nashville on Tuesday. Jordan Eberle scored two goals and set up another while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added a tally and two assists for the Oilers, who have won three in a row twice this campaign - most recently from Jan. 26-29.
Buffalo hopes to snap a seven-game losing streak that has followed a run of four wins in five games upon returning from the Olympic break. The Sabres, who began a five-game road trip with a loss at Calgary on Tuesday, have scored fewer than two goals six times during their skid and a pair of tallies in the other defeat. Matt Hendricks netted a short-handed goal less than a minute into the third period as Edmonton skated to a 3-2 triumph in Buffalo on Feb. 3.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), TSN (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE SABRES (19-42-8): With both Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth sidelined with lower-body injuries, Matt Hackett is slated to make his debut for Buffalo on Thursday. It will be the ninth start in the NHL for Hackett, who made his first eight with Minnesota over the previous two seasons. The 24-year-old will become the fifth goaltender to start for the Sabres this campaign just two days after Nathan Lieuwen received his first NHL starting assignment on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE OILERS (25-36-9): Edmonton is 29th in the league with 59 points but is just one behind Florida and two back of the New York Islanders. The club has its sights set on escaping the basement in the Western Conference as it trails provincial-rival Calgary by just four points. The Oilers could be without both Hendricks (leg) and Nail Yakupov (ankle) on Thursday as they look to improve upon their 3-1-1 mark over their last five home games.
OVERTIME
1. The Sabres have not lost in Edmonton since Oct. 16, 2003.
2. Oilers C Sam Gagner is one goal shy of 100 for his career.
3. Edmonton recalled RW Tyler Pitlick from Oklahoma City of the American Hockey League. The 22-year-old, who is the nephew of former NHL D Lance Pitlick, made his debut earlier this season - netting a goal in three games.