Sabres at Avalanche
Ryan O'Reilly makes his return to the Mile High City as the Buffalo Sabres seek a season high-tying third straight victory when they visit the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. O'Reilly has recorded team highs of 17 goals and 39 points in his first campaign with Buffalo, which acquired the center - along with left wing Jamie McGinn - from Colorado in a five-player trade over the summer after he spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Avalanche.
"It feels like forever ago that I was here," O'Reilly told the Avalanche's website. "It's an exciting experience and I'm looking forward to it." The 24-year-old, who already has matched his 2014-15 total in tallies, has notched a point in six of his last seven contests but enters with a five-game goal-scoring drought. Colorado is coming off a two-game trek during which it split a pair of 2-1 decisions but has won four of its last five at home. The Avalanche swept the two-game series last season, outscoring the Sabres 10-4 in the process.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, MSG, BELL TV (Buffalo), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE SABRES (19-23-4): Despite ranking in the bottom third of the league, Buffalo has been stellar on the penalty kill of late, going four straight games without allowing a power-play goal and 15-for-16 over its last seven contests. "It's huge," rookie Jack Eichel told the team's website. "Guys are going over the boards, getting the job done, and that's what you want to see." Defenseman Josh Gorges could return to the lineup Wednesday after missing two games with an upper-body injury.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (23-21-3): Mikhail Grigorenko, the key player that came over from Buffalo in the O'Reilly trade, has struggled in his first season with Colorado. The 21-year-old Russian center has recorded just two goals and 10 assists in 40 games and was a healthy scratch each of the last two contests but is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday. Jarome Iginla's goal in Monday's victory at Winnipeg was his 602nd career tally, moving him past Jari Kurri for sole possession of 18th place on the all-time list, his 96th game-winner - tying him with Mats Sundin for seventh in NHL history - and his team-leading seventh on the power play.
OVERTIME
1. The Sabres have won four of their last five overall games and two straight on the road.
2. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has gone five games without a goal and has registered only three in his last 22 contests.
3. O'Reilly also leads Buffalo with seven power-play goals after totaling two in 82 games with Colorado last season.