Sabres at Blues
After having three days to stew about their seven-game unbeaten streak coming to an end, the St. Louis Blues look to return to their winning ways when they host the sputtering Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Vladimir Tarasenko has been an integral part of St. Louis' good fortune, following up his NHL's First Star of the Week honors by being named the league's Third Star on Monday. The 22-year-old Russian had his four-game goal-scoring streak snapped but matched a career high by extending his point run to five contests when he set up Jori Lehtera's tally in a 2-1 setback to Nashville on Saturday.
While Tarasenko has been lighting up the scoreboard, the Sabres have mustered an NHL-low 18 non-shootout goals in 16 games - including four during their three-game winless streak (0-2-1). "You can take my comments from one game, and it's going to be the same thing," Zemgus Girgensons said after scoring his team's lone tally in a 6-1 drubbing by Pittsburgh on Saturday. "If you've got an effort and you can compete, it can be a close game. But if you don't try ... you see the result."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN
ABOUT THE SABRES (3-11-2): With his team struggling to make its presence felt on offense, coach Ted Nolan wasn't shy about mixing up his lines during Monday's practice. Tyler Ennis was shuffled from center to right wing as he joined Matt Moulson and Girgensons, while Drew Stafford centered a line with Cody Hodgson and Nicolas Deslauriers. "We are at that point. When you run into obstacles, you don't stop and quit," Nolan told The Buffalo News. "You've got to find a way to get over it, around it or through it, so we'll try some things."
ABOUT THE BLUES (9-4-1): Brian Elliott saw his four-start winning streak come to a halt versus the Predators but could get back to his triumphant ways on Tuesday. The 29-year-old turned aside 24 shots in a 2-1 victory over Buffalo on April 3, improving his career mark versus the Sabres to 10-0-2 with two shutouts and a slim 1.74 goals-against average. Elliott wouldn't object to getting some help from the team's power play, which failed to score on its lone opportunity against Nashville after collecting four goals with the man advantage in the previous three games.
OVERTIME
1. Buffalo's scoring troubles also extend to its punchless power play, which has converted at a league-worst four percent (2-for-50).
2. St. Louis C Maxim Lapierre scored a goal in the teams' last meeting but has yet to tally in 14 games this season.
3. Sabres G Michal Neuvirth has been confirmed to start on Tuesday as he stopped 25-of-27 shots to win his lone career meeting with St. Louis.