Sabres at Blues
The St. Louis Blues are showing no resemblance to the team that finished second in the Central Division and advanced to the Western Conference finals last season. St. Louis has dropped three straight games and five of seven as they pepare to host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game homestand.
The Blues are coming off a humbling 8-4 loss at Columbus on Saturday night that dipped their goal differential to minus-10 on the season. "I think we're in a spot right now where we're a little dazed by the situation," St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "You look back at the last five or six years, we haven't really had a run like this at all." The Blues could be getting the ideal opponent in Buffalo, which has scored four goals during a four-game skid (0-2-2). The Sabres have been limited to two goals or fewer in all seven games this month.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG-B (Buffalo), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE SABRES (5-6-4): Among the many reasons for Buffalo's lack of offensive punch is a power play that produced eight goals in its first seven games but is 1-for-13 over the last eight contests. "Maybe the biggest surprise is we haven't got to the power play as much as we need to to get opportunities to score,” said Sabres coach Dan Bylsma of a unit which has had more than two chances only once in the last eight games. Center Ryan O’Reilly is expected to miss his second straight game Tuesday.
ABOUT THE BLUES (7-6-3): Coach Ken Hitchcock saw one positive from the drubbing by Columbus, calling Monday's practice the "best one we've had in a long time. ... There's building times and this is it. We've got a real opportunity. We're in the quagmire with everybody else, and it is an opportunity that starting today the players really took advantage of." Goaltender Jake Allen has won all three career starts versus Buffalo, allowing three goals, but he's been yanked in two of his last five outings.
OVERTIME
1. Blues F Vladimir Tarasenko has two goals and six assists during a five-game point streak.
2. Sabres F Evander Kane, who missed 10 games with broken ribs, has yet to register a point in four games.
3. St. Louis features the league's top-ranked penalty kill with a 90.6 percent success rate.