The Ducks (38-27-4) return home for one game against the Sabres (44-20-6) before embarking on a three-game road trip.
Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. PT and will air on KCOP-13 andVictory+.
Anaheim comes into this game off a convincing 4-1 win over the Mammoth on Friday. Alex Killorn had a goal and two assists in the potential playoff preview while Ryan Poehling, Mikael Granlund, and Cutter Gauthier were responsible for the other scores.
“I think both teams showed the importance of the game, and everybody's fighting for the same airspace as far as standings go and trying to make the playoffs,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “Both teams have been absent (from the Stanley Cup Playoffs) for a while, and I think they both want to achieve that goal. And I think no matter who we're playing, everybody's going to have some motivation behind them.”
The win got the Ducks to 80 points on the season, three points ahead of the Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division.
“The points are just huge, right?” Killorn said. “Like, especially in the Pacific, we want to kind of stay where we're at, and we have teams right behind us. And with a win or loss, things can change really quickly. So we value these points highly.”
The Sabres remain one of the surprises of the season as the team leads the Atlantic Division and is tied atop the Eastern Conference with 94 points to their name. They finally look to end their 14-season postseason drought, good for the longest active drought in the league.
While the team comes into Honda Center on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Kings 4-1 up the freeway last night, Buffalo has won their last four consecutive games, tied with Columbus for the longest active winning streak.
Former Duck Sam Carrick scored the game-winner against Los Angeles and has five goals in eight games with Buffalo after being traded to the Sabres from the Rangers this year.
Tage Thompson leads the team in goals (36) and points (72) while Rasmus Dahlin paces the club with 48 assists.
Tonight, the Ducks face a challenge at goalie as per the team website, Alex Lyon will be in the net for Buffalo and has won 10-straight road games. One more win will move him into a three-way tie for the most consecutive road wins by a goaltender in NHL history.
This is the final meeting between the teams this regular season. Buffalo took the first matchup in a 5-3 win in January.
