Sabres at Sharks
The Buffalo Sabres have endured more than their fair share of troubles against the rest of the NHL over recent seasons, but they have had no issue taking out their frustrations on the San Jose Sharks. Boasting a 10-0-1 mark in the last 11 encounters, the Sabres look to maintain their mastery of the Sharks and end a four-game road losing skid on Tuesday when the clubs meet at the SAP Center.
Evander Kane (team-leading 25 goals) scored and set up a goal in Buffalo's 5-3 win over Columbus on Saturday, increasing his point total to 15 (11 goals, four assists) in a 16-game stretch that began with an impressive performance in a 5-4 overtime victory over San Jose on Feb. 7. In that contest, the 25-year-old capped the Sabres' spirited rally from a three-goal deficit in the third period with his second goal at 1:05 of the extra session. Captain Joe Pavelski also tallied in that game and netted a pair on Sunday as the Pacific Division-leading Sharks posted their sixth win in eight outings with a decisive 5-1 romp over Dallas. The 32-year-old recorded five goals and an assist in his last four contests en route to being named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, MSG-B (Buffalo), CSN California (San Jose), NHL.TV
ABOUT THE SABRES (28-29-12): While a disastrous 2-6-2 mark has left a sour taste in the mouth of Buffalo, Jack Eichel's performance gives the struggling team some promise for seasons down the road. The 20-year-old scored and set up a goal versus the Blue Jackets to increase his team-leading point total to 47 - with 26 (seven goals, 19 assists) coming in the past 19 games. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen notched two of his club-best 38 assists against Columbus and has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in the past 14 games.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (41-20-7): Veteran defenseman Paul Martin isn't one to gush about his performance on the ice, so perhaps it's no surprise that the 36-year-old credited his teammates after notching two assists to extend his point streak to three games (one goal, three assists). "The guys have made some good plays on just some pucks that I've passed to them, so I think it's just a coincidence," Martin told CSNBayArea.com of his scoring surge. "He's at a high level right now," Pavelski said of Martin, whose 20 assists and 24 points are his most since recording 25 and 27, respectively, in 2011-12 with Pittsburgh.
OVERTIME
1. San Jose C Logan Couture, who scored in the first meeting with Buffalo, has four goals and five assists in his past eight games overall.
2. The Sabres' top-ranked power play went 2-for-3 in the first encounter with the Sharks and is a sizzling 8-for-22 in the past six contests overall.
3. Sharks D Brent Burns, who leads the team in goals (27), assists (43) and points (70), has been held off the scoresheet in four of the last five games.