The Sabres look to head into Winnipeg on Tuesday night and ground the Jets, who currently sit a two points in front of Buffalo in the Eastern Conference standings.
This is the second of three meetings in the 2013 season for the Sabres and Jets. Winnipeg took the first meeting with a 2-1 victory on February 19th.
Coming into Tuesday night’s game, Winnipeg should be well rested as they have had the fortune of three days off, following a 4-1 victory vs. Philadelphia.
Although the Jets won their last game, they have struggled as of late, only managing to win 3 times in their last 10 games.
A lot of those struggles fall onto goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who has allowed at least 3 goals in 4 of his last 5 starts.
While Winnipeg falls through the Eastern Conference, the Sabres have begun to make what seems to be their annual march to the playoffs.
The Sabres have tallied at least a point in 8 of their last 10 games and have continued to make a strong push for 8th place in the conference.
Buffalo has begun their run without the help of team points leader Thomas Vanek, who could return to the lineup for the first time in six games.
While Vanek has been out, assistant captain Steve Ott has stepped his game up even further. Ott, who recorded 10 hits last game, heads into Tuesday’s game with a three-game goal scoring streak.
With the Sabres and the Jets separated by only two points in the standings, this game has strong implications for both teams.
The puck drops at the MTS Centre shortly after 8 PM Eastern Time. The game will be broadcast on MSG.