Jets at Sabres
As the Buffalo Sabres prepare for their first home game since a vicious snowstorm battered the city, they'll be bringing a rather nice surprise back with them. The Sabres carry a season-high three-game winning streak into what should be an emotional home game against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. Buffalo hasn't played at First Niagara Center in more than a week, and had a game against the New York Rangers postponed due to a storm that dropped several feet of snow.
The Sabres will be undoubtedly eager to build on the momentum they've fashioned in outscoring opponents 12-4 during their longest winning streak since Feb. 25-28. But they'll be in tough against a Jets team that opened a three-game road trip in style, riding a pair of goals from Evander Kane to a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. It's the first meeting of the season between the teams; they split their two encounters two weeks apart last season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SN1 (Winnipeg), MSG-B (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE JETS (11-9-3): Winnipeg would love nothing more than for Kane to rediscover his form from three seasons ago, when he scored 30 goals and looked like a star in the making. But the 23-year-old struggled with injuries and inconsistency, resulting in just 36 tallies over his next two seasons combined. Kane's two-goal effort against the Blue Jackets was his first since Jan. 5 of last season, and he comes into Wednesday's contest with just one goal in 16 career meetings with the Sabres.
ABOUT THE SABRES (6-13-2): At 29, Torrey Mitchell is a veritable greybeard on a Buffalo roster stocked with young talent. But coach Ted Nolan has given the veteran forward an opportunity to contribute, and he has - scoring twice over the last four games, including the game winner against Washington on Saturday night. "It's nice to have some success right now and (find) my role," he told reporters earlier in the week. "Confidence is everything in this league. You get some wins under your belt and you start feeling good about yourself."
OVERTIME
1. Winnipeg has won seven of the last eight meetings dating back to January 2012.
2. The Jets have racked up seven straight wins against teams with losing records.
3. The Sabres rank last in the NHL in faceoff percentage at 42; the Jets are 23rd at 48.1.