Sabres at Wild
The Minnesota Wild have the perfect opportunity to put an end to their slide as they host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Minnesota enters with a four-game losing streak that began at home against Pittsburgh before the club totaled two goals during a fruitless three-game road trip. The skid has followed a three-game winning streak and a five-game stretch during which the Wild tallied 22 times.
Buffalo is in the midst of a four-game losing streak (0-3-1) of its own, collecting a total of five goals along the way. After beginning their four-game homestand with a shootout victory over Detroit, the Sabres dropped the next three contests before suffering their second straight 6-1 loss Tuesday at St. Louis. Buffalo has scored a league-low 19 non-shootout goals and netted more than two tallies just once in 17 games.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), FSN North, FSN Wisconsin (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE SABRES (3-12-2): Patrick Kaleta is expected to make his season debut Thursday after dealing with knee and facial injuries for more than a year. The 28-year-old Buffalo native has not played an NHL game since Oct. 10, 2013 due to a torn ACL suffered in the American Hockey League last season and facial fractures that required surgery after being hit with a slap shot during a preseason contest in September. "I've been waiting to play my first real game for like 13 months now," Kaleta told the team's web site on Wednesday. "So whatever the team needs me to do to be a positive around here, I'll do it when I'm called upon."
ABOUT THE WILD (7-7-0): Minnesota is close to getting back a few injured players as defenseman Jared Spurgeon and Zach Parise skated in practice Wednesday. Spurgeon is likely to be in the lineup against Buffalo after missing five games with a shoulder injury, but Parise is considered doubtful by coach Mike Yeo as he continues to recover from a concussion. Parise still leads the team with 10 points despite sitting out the last three contests.
OVERTIME
1. The Wild recalled D Stu Bickel and C Jordan Schroeder from Iowa of the AHL.
2. Sabres D Josh Gorges will not play Thursday due to a lower-body injury, while G Jhonas Enroth is expected to get the start against Minnesota.
3. Two of Buffalo's three victories this season came in shootouts.