Nothing seems to be working out for the Anaheim Ducks, losing five of their last seven games.
They are winless through three games of a six-game road trip, only able to grab a point in a shootout loss to Tampa Bay.
John Gibson will be the man in net for Anaheim, while opposite of him will be Robin Lehner for Buffalo.
Lehner is coming off a 37-save performance versus the Devils three nights ago, in a losing effort.
The opening face-off at KeyBank Center is 4 P.M. Pacific on Prime Ticket and AM 830 KLAA.
Anaheim Ducks (28-17-10, 66 points)
Switching It Up:
Head Coach Randy Carlyle has not be happy with the results from his team, so there will be some line changes per Eric Stephens of the OC Register.
Rickard Rakell will be centering a line with Corey Perry and Nick Ritchie.
And while Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano will stick together, Jakob Silfverberg has been promoted to be with Ryan Getzlaf.
Whether these new lines will be used for the next stretch of games remains to be seen.
If it works, let them ride out tendencies to buy chemistry. If not, at least reunite Silfverberg with Kesler and Cogliano.
Power Outage:
With Anaheim struggling to find offense, Bob Murray is assuredly looking for solutions.
The Anaheim Ducks have averaged just 1.3 goals per game in its last three games.
And while their PK has been reliable, the power play has not produced a goal in 12 straight opportunities.
Buffalo Sabres (22-21-10, 54 points)
Home Sweet Home:
The Buffalo Sabres are 6-0-1 in their last seven games at home.
The latest game was a 5-4 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks.
With 13 minutes left to play in regulation, they rallied from three goal deficit before Evander Kane netted the game-winner in OT.
Hello Old Friend:
Dan Bylsma is enjoying his eighth year as a coach in the NHL, second with the Buffalo Sabres.
Before heading into the coaching industry, he was a player last seen skating in 2004.
He was a member of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for four years, compiling 32 points in 209 games.
Second The Best:
Buffalo may not be making the play-offs this year but they should not be hanging their heads low for long.
The reason being that Jack Eichel will make things better. And his best years are ahead of him at the ripe age of 20.
He suffered a high ankle sprain, prompting him to miss the first two months of the season which accounts for 21 games.
Had he been healthy, we might be talking about how they are a play-off team right about now.
Eichel has 25 points in 32 games as the team’s second line centerman behind Ryan O’Reilly, including four points in his last three games.
Additional Notes:
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen will not draw in tonight’s contest as he is still recovering from a lower body injury.
With him missing the last two games, Brandon Montour will be in his place skating alongside Cam Fowler.
Next: Coming Up Empty In Road Trip Proving Costly
Last thing before we let you go – read this great piece on Teemu Selanne by ESPN’s Scott Burnside.