Coyotes at Sabres
While better than half the league continues to jockey for playoff positioning as the regular season winds down, the Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres are engaged in a much different battle as they face off Thursday night in Western New York. The Sabres sit last in the NHL with just 47 points - giving them the best statistical chance of securing the top pick in this year's draft. The Coyotes are five points ahead of Buffalo following Tuesday's 5-4 win over Detroit.
Neither team will cop to playing out the string in hopes of landing a better draft pick, but their recent tailspins suggest otherwise. Tuesday's overtime triumph was just the second in the previous 20 games for the Coyotes, and their first road triumph since Feb. 9. The Sabres, meanwhile, have lost three in a row, have just one victory in 10 games in March and remain last in the league in goals per game, power-play success rate and penalty killing percentage.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Arizona, MSG-B (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE COYOTES (22-44-8): Arizona has given permission for goaltending coach Sean Burke to speak to other teams about front-office vacancies - and Coyotes netminder Mike Smith isn't happy about it. "I've learned a lot, and obviously he's a big reason for my success the last few years and kind of rejuvenated my career so to speak," Smith told AZCentral. "I obviously owe a lot to him, and I'll have a close relationship with Burkie wherever he may be. But it's disappointing to hear the news." Burke has been with the club since 2009.
ABOUT THE SABRES (20-46-7): Buffalo fans appear to be in full-on draft mode, cheering against the Sabres in their previous home game - a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. But coach Ted Nolan remains steadfast that his players want to win - and he hopes the fans understand why. "(Buffalo) is a city full of workers, and I don't know anybody in this town who'd go to work and not give their best," Nolan told the Buffalo News. "That's what we're trying to do as a hockey team. I'm sure the fans will get behind that."
OVERTIME
1. The Sabres earned a 3-2 win in their previous meeting Jan. 30, and have won seven of the last eight encounters overall.
2. Smith is just 2-7-0 but has a 2.33 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage this month.
3. Arizona has just one win in its last 11 games against teams with losing records.