Hurricanes at Sabres
The Carolina Hurricanes have battled back into postseason contention due to their ability to win tight games and they'll continue they playoff drive when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon in the second of a five-game road trip. Carolina squeezed out a 3-2 overtime win at Boston on Thursday night to draw within four points of Detroit for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hurricanes dropped four of five games to close out February and started dealing away some of their top players at the trade deadline with their postseason hopes seemingly slipping away. Yet they have rebounded to go 3-0-1 in March, beating Ottawa in a shootout and topping New Jersey on a late goal with 89 seconds to play. Unlike Carolina, Buffalo continues to struggle when it involves narrow decisions, dropping to 11-13-9 in one-goal games following Thursday's 3-2 loss at Montreal. “We play good hockey, but we make those big mistakes that end up costing us games,” Sabres defenseman Jack McCabe told the Buffalo News. “You look at the playoff picture and you think back, ‘What if?’"
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FSN Carolinas, MSG Buffalo, NHL.TV
ABOUT THE SABRES (27-33-9): Forward Ryan O'Reilly, who still leads Buffalo in scoring with 49 points despite missing the past 10 games with a broken foot, skated Friday for the first time since sustaining the injury on Feb. 19. “It’s always nice to get back on the ice,” O’Reilly said. "It’s awkward kind of coming back, but it was a good workout. Hopefully, I’ll continue to improve and get back soon.” In an off-the-ice matter, Sabres forward Evander Kane was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office following an investigation into a sexual encounter in December.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (31-26-11): Rookie defenseman Noah Hanifin, a former Boston College standout who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft, made a successful debut to his home state by collecting a pair of assists - including the game-winning goal in overtime by fellow rookie Phillip Di Giuseppe. "It was my first game here in the NHL and just to be able to get out there and get a win in front of all my family and friends, it was definitely a really cool experience," Hanifin said. Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward is 11-9-4 versus the Sabres but has dropped his last four starts in Buffalo.
OVERTIME
1. Hurricanes F Jeff Skinner has three goals and two assists during a three-game point streak and eight tallies in 16 contests versus the Sabres.
2. Buffalo has allowed a power-play goal in three straight games while going 0-for-8 with the man advantage in that span.
3. Sabres G Chad Johnson is 5-1-0 against Carolina, his most wins against any opponent.