Preview: Carolina at Buffalo
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, November 27, 2015
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
The Carolina Hurricanes have warmed up a bit offensively over the last three games, and defenseman Justin Faulk has been the key figure in the uprising. Faulk leads the league in power-play goals and looks to extend his point streak to eight games as the Hurricanes visit the struggling Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Faulk, who has tallied eight times with the man advantage this season, has recorded nine points during his run while Carolina has totaled 10 goals in its last three games. The Hurricanes have earned at least one point in six of their last seven games (2-1-4) while Buffalo is winless in its past six contests. The Sabres have managed just seven goals during their 0-4-2 slide and are 1-for-18 on the power play in that span. “We’ve got to get more guys to the front of the net and score more goals on those second and third chances,” Buffalo rookie Jack Eichel told the Buffalo News. “That would really help us if we were able to do that.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Carolinas, MSG, BELL (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (8-10-4): Faulk leads the team in scoring with 18 points – half with the man advantage – and Kris Versteeg has notched four in his last four games to move into second with 14. Captain Eric Staal snapped a four-game point drought with an assist in the 4-1 victory over Edmonton on Wednesday. The Hurricanes will need scoring depth in order to push their way into the playoff chase, and Elias Lindholm could be pulling out of his early funk as he has registered three points in as many games.
ABOUT THE SABRES (8-12-2): Eichel netted his seventh goal in a 3-2 loss to Nashville on Wednesday, tying Ryan O’Reilly for the team lead. The Sabres hope for more production from Matt Moulson (10-game goal drought), Evander Kane (four points in 12 games) and Zemgus Girgensons (one goal in 18 contests), who recently have returned from injuries. Tyler Ennis, who has not scored in his last 10 games, did not play against the Predators due to an upper-body injury and is questionable for Friday.
OVERTIME
1. Hurricanes G Cam Ward is 2-0-3 in his last five games and is expected to start Friday.
2. Buffalo D Rasmus Ristolainen is tied for fourth among NHL blue-liners with two power-play goals.
3. Carolina D Ryan Murphy, who missed the last five games with a concussion, was assigned to Charlotte of the American Hockey League.
PREDICTION: Sabres 5, Hurricanes 3