Storylines
1. Finding ways to finish
With 75 combined shots on goal at Calgary and Edmonton, Buffalo set a season high for a two-game span. And Natural Stat Trick credited the Sabres with 16 and 15 high-danger scoring chances in those games, their most since Dec. 11 versus the Rangers (17). But two goals didn’t cut it in either contest, both of which were tied entering the third period.
On Saturday, after taking a 2-1 lead in the second period, the Sabres failed to score on a pair of breakaway chances. They also outshot the Oilers 36-22 over the final 40 minutes.
“You get a couple breakaways you don’t finish on,” Ruff said. “A 2-on-1, you don’t finish. Some of the high-quality stuff – good teams turn that into the third goal.
“We’ve got to get better at taking advantage of our high-quality opportunities, to put the opposition in a position where it’s hard for them to come back.”
Those opportunities include the man advantage. Jiri Kulich scored a go-ahead goal Saturday just seconds after an Oilers penalty had expired, but Buffalo’s power play has gone 3-for-29 in the last eight games, compared to 8-for-19 in the previous eight.
“Plenty of good opportunities, but it didn’t make a difference for us,” Ruff said of the power play's 1-for-14 road trip.
2. Scouting the Bruins
The Bruins beat the Sabres 3-1 on Dec. 21 in Boston, with Morgan Geekie scoring a power-play game winner 18:15 into the third.
Beginning that night, Geekie has scored nine goals in his last 17 games, and his 15 goals this season rank third among Bruins skaters. He’s benefitted greatly from a first-line role alongside David Pastrnak, who on Monday was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after recording eight points (3+5) in four games.
Pastrnak leads the NHL with 11 goals in January. He’s factored into 22 of Boston’s 37 goals this month, keeping the Bruins (5-1-1 in their last seven games) in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Boston’s top two defenseman, Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, are nearing returns from injury but remain unavailable for Tuesday’s game. Forwards Mark Kastelic and Oliver Wahlstrom also didn’t make the trip to Buffalo.
The Bruins have won five of these teams’ last six matchups and 12 of the last 14.
