Sabres host Oilers in battle of the basement

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It’s not an appetizing matchup for the NHL, but if you think of the future of these two teams, there could potentially be a lot at stake. Edmonton and Buffalo are the league’s two worst teams, and there is an underlying storyline going on in this one.

Both teams have struggled this season and have a good chance at ending up at the bottom of the league. Many fans are hoping to see their team get the #1 overall draft pick this summer, but Buffalo and Edmonton may come down to the wire in a race for last.

Still, it’s not going to stop these teams from competing. There is plenty of hockey remaining and regardless of what happens, there’s a great chance both teams will get a top three pick.

It’s the first of two meetings this season as the Oilers are in town. The last time they met was back in January of 2012, when Buffalo edged out a 4-3 victory.

The Sabres are in search of their first home victory in nearly a month, and have gone 2-5-3 in their past 10 overall. They’re coming off of a embarrassing 7-1 loss against a talented Colorado team.

“We got out played every facet of the game from start to finish. Not much to build off tonight. We have to be a lot better if we want to get some points,” forward Matt D’Agostini said.

As for Edmonton, it hasn’t been doing much better, if at all. The Oilers are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and are coming off a 4-0 loss against the Bruins. Prior to that, they had won three consecutive games, but they were then shutout for the 7th time this season.

While it may be a battle of the two teams at the bottom of the league, it should be interesting as to how it plays out.

“We’re in no position to take anyone lightly,” Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said. “We are at where we are at in the standings. I expect Buffalo to come out hard after losing their game the way they did against Colorado.”

Tonight’s game is schedule for 7 p.m. and can be seen on MSG.

 

Kevin Freiheit
Kevin Freiheit
I founded Buffalo Hockey Central in 2008 and have poured hours and hours into this site. Luckily, we have a great team of writers and designers who have helped keep this up and running despite a ton of out-of-pocket costs. We do this because we enjoy it, and we're desperate to see the Sabres win the Cup someday, but they have to make the playoffs first.
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