Overview
- Puck drop is 1 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center with coverage on FDSNSO, NHLN, MSG-B and SN1.
- Carolina rides a five-game points streak atop the East as it ends a four-game road swing, while Buffalo is last in the conference but has won three of its past four, including a 9-3 win over Chicago.
- Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to start for the Hurricanes after he was unavailable Friday, and Carolina remains without Jaccob Slavin and Jesperi Kotkaniemi due to lower-body injuries.
- Tage Thompson enters on a five-game goal streak and 20 points, with Alex Tuch also at 20 points leading Buffalo’s top line.
- The matchup highlights Carolina’s puck-control approach against Buffalo’s rush speed tracked by NHL Edge, with the Sabres boasting a top penalty kill but struggling at five-on-five.