Rangers at Sabres
After being extended into the shootout in their last contests, the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres won't have much time to reflect on their performances when they reconvene at First Niagara Center on Friday. Porous weather conditions resulted in the originally scheduled game to be postponed on Nov. 21, although Western New York hardly is balmy at this time of year as well. The Rangers likely won't be in the best of moods after failing to hold a late third-period lead before seeing their four-game winning streak come to an end in a 5-4 setback to Vancouver on Thursday.
New York still is 4-0-2 in its last six and resides five points behind the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Islanders. Languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference is where one would find Buffalo, but the cellar-dwelling club is returning home with a smile after posting its fourth win in 27 games (4-21-2) - a 3-2 triumph over Philadelphia on Thursday. Captain Brian Gionta scored in both regulation and the shootout versus the Flyers, with the former serving as his 500th career point.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York, Buffalo)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (34-16-6): Coach Alain Vigneault refused to name Friday's starting goaltender after the loss to the Canucks, telling reporters that "I haven't told him - them - yet." One of the netminders in question is Cam Talbot, who yielded four goals on 24 shots while making his career-high eighth straight start (5-1-2, 3.11 goals-against average, .890 save percentage) in place of the injured Henrik Lundqvist. The other is 20-year-old Mackenzie Skapski, who would be making his NHL debut - but hasn't played in a game since Jan. 31, when he stopped 21 shots to lead Hartford to a 3-1 win over Springfield in an American Hockey League contest.
ABOUT THE SABRES (17-37-4): Michal Neuvirth posted his first win since Nov. 15 on Thursday, snapping an 0-10-1 stretch that included a disastrous performance in a 6-1 setback to the Rangers on Jan. 3. The 26-year-old yielded four goals on nine shots and exited after 12 1/2 minutes in that contest to fall to 1-4-0 with a gaudy 4.93 goals-against average in his career versus the Rangers. Neuvirth has stopped 98 of his last 103 shots but could take a seat should coach Ted Nolan opt to give Anders Lindback his first start since being acquired from Dallas.
OVERTIME
1. Rangers LW Rick Nash has scored eight goals and set up five others in his last 10 games. Nash, who leads the team with 36 tallies, has 11 goals and five assists in 16 career meetings with Buffalo.
2. Seven of the Sabres' 17 wins have come in the shootout.
3. Rangers LW Carl Hagelin scored against Vancouver and also tallied in the first meeting with Buffalo.