Sabres at Stars
The Buffalo Sabres' newfound knack for winning games - three straight, all in overtime - has them within striking distance of their first Stanley Cup playoff berth since 2010-11 as they visit the struggling Dallas Stars on Thursday in their final contest before the All-Star break. Buffalo erased a two-goal deficit and Jack Eichel scored twice, including the one in the extra session in Tuesday's 5-4 victory in Nashville as the Sabres' confidence continues to grow.
"It's great to see the way we played," Eichel told reporters. "We stuck with it for 60 minutes. We got down two goals on the road against a really good hockey team and were able to find a way to get it to overtime and win it. It says a lot about the resiliency of this team. It's nice to be a part of games like that." Dallas lost 3-2 in a shootout to Minnesota on Tuesday for its third straight loss (0-1-2) and is 3-6-3 in its last 12 games. "Well it’s our job to reset and refocus, and try to win some games and pick up points,'' Stars' forward Jason Spezza told reporters. "There’s no doubt it’s frustrating to lose overtime and shootouts. We’ve had opportunities to win some of these games, but it’s our job to try to pick up points and refocus for the next one.” Buffalo, which lost its last four in Dallas, prevailed 4-1 on Jan. 16 in the first of two meetings this season on the strength of two Eichel goals to snap a three-game slide in the series.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG Buffalo, FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE SABRES (20-18-9): Kyle Okposo scored in three of his last four games and has team bests of 15 goals and 31 points while defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has a club-most 25 assists despite recording only one in his past seven contests. Robin Lehner (12-12-5, 2.57 goals-against average, .920 save percentage) is 4-1-0 in five January games, but is 1-3-1, 3.25, .911 in five games (four starts) versus the Stars after defeating them earlier this month. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing 12 games because of a lower back injury, but fellow blueliner Jake McCabe (21 minutes average time on ice) will miss his fourth straight contest Thursday because of a shoulder injury.
ABOUT THE STARS (19-20-10): Tyler Seguin shook off a flu bug to score Tuesday - his fourth goal in 11 January games - and boasts team bests of 29 assists and 46 points. Jamie Benn (12 goals, 40 points) is playing with a broken nose he sustained from a high stick in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Washington and recorded an assist Tuesday, giving him two goals and three assists in his last four games. Patrick Eaves scored a goal in each of his last two games and has three in the past four, giving him a club-most 18 which are two shy of his career high of 20 registered in his rookie season with Ottawa in 2005-06.
OVERTIME
1. Dallas allowed the first goal in its last six games and is 1-3-2 during that span.
2. Stars C Radek Faksa (six goals, 22 points) won't play for the second consecutive contest because of a lower-body injury.
3. Buffalo, which plays 19 of its 34 games after the All-Star break at home, is 9-3-2 against the Western Conference this season.