Buffalo hits the road for two games, starting their road trip in Chicago against the Blackhawks. Chicago is hungry for a win after a three-game losing streak.
Season series:
Since January 2009, Chicago has won seven consecutive home games against Buffalo, while the Sabres haven’t won at the United Center since January 2007. The Blackhawks are looking to sweep the two-game regular season series against the Sabres tonight.
Buffalo notes:
The Sabres enter their road trip with an 11-18-4 record on the road for the season.
Vladimir Sobotka and Zach Bogosian will both play tonight and Carter Hutton will start in net. Hutton is currently 16-18-4 with a 2.82 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
Captain Jack Eichel leads his team with 72 points (25 goals, 47 assists), followed by teammate Jeff Skinner with 58 points (36 goals, 22 assists).
Opponent notes:
Four teams and nine points are what separate the Blackhawks from the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
David Kampf will make his return to the lineup after missing a month with a broken bone in his right foot. Golden boy, and Buffalo native, Patrick Kane is third in the NHL in goals with 40, eighth in assists with 54 and second in points with 94. He’s also third in the NHL in minutes per game among forwards (22:30).
Corey Crawford is expected to start in goal and is 7-15-2, with a 3.39 GAA and .897 save percentage.