Panthers at Sabres
It's been a while since anyone was able to say it, but the Buffalo Sabres are one of the hottest teams in the NHL heading into Saturday night's encounter with the visiting Florida Panthers. Buffalo opened the season with just three wins in its first 18 games but has caught fire of late, entering the weekend with victories in eight of its last 11 contests. That includes a 4-3 triumph over the Calgary Flames last time out, a game in which Buffalo was outshot 45-19.
The Panthers are also looking to stay on the winning track following a 3-2 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. The Panthers prevailed despite going 0-for-5 with the man advantage, extending a dismal December run that has seen the club convert just 2-of-18 power-play chances. Luckily for Florida, the Sabres can sympathize; they enter Saturday's game with the worst power-play conversion rate in the league at 7.3 percent
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida, MSG-B (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (12-8-7): Florida is in the midst of an unusual stretch in which it will play seven games against just four teams - two each versus Columbus, Detroit and Buffalo and one against St. Louis. The Panthers lost both games to the Blue Jackets, won both contests against the Red Wings and will look to complete a mini-sweep of the Sabres following a 3-2 triumph last Saturday. Rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad had three assists in that one, but saw his five-game point streak ended Friday in Detroit.
ABOUT THE SABRES (11-16-2): Earlier in the season, a 26-shot disparity would have spelled major trouble for Buffalo. But not the current version of the young Sabres, who blew a pair of second-period leads and trailed in the third before rallying to upend the Flames. "It wasn't one of our better games," coach Ted Nolan told reporters afterward. "The belief factor is starting to creep in. It was pretty special because we weren't in the game but we still believed we could come back."
OVERTIME
1. The Panthers have won five straight meetings, with four of those games decided by a goal.
2. The Sabres haven't scored multiple power-play goals in a game all season.
3. Buffalo F Cody Hodgson, who was a healthy scratch last time out, is expected to return to the lineup.