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| NHL Wednesday night: Buffalo vs. Chicago |
This will be the first and only meeting between Buffalo and Chicago this season. The Blackhawks won both games a year ago by a score of 4-3, but are just 44-52-13-1 in 110 all-time meetings against the Sabres. Buffalo is trying to break its current franchise-record nine-game road losing streak and also locked in a funk that seemed to start with a bad loss on Nov. 12 in Boston. Since that game, in which goalie Ryan Miller sustained a concussion from a huge hit outside the crease by Milan Lucic, Buffalo has gone just 9-16-5 and dropped to 11th place in the Eastern Conference. After getting routed 5-0 in Detroit on Monday, the Sabres were seven points out of the East's eighth playoff spot and searching for answers. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, remain locked in a tight battle in both the Central Division and Western Conference standings -- which seem to change turbulently on a nightly basis. Following an ugly 5-0 loss on Monday in Detroit, Buffalo got a post-game visit by owner Terry Pegula and other team execs, who didn’t address the team but probably sent a silent message with their presence. The current level of play is unacceptable for a team that spent big in the offseason and started with the goal of making a Stanley Cup run. Miller was supposed to lead the way, but he went into a slump shortly before getting the concussion on the Lucic hit, which sidelined him for three weeks and gave him another hurdle to clear. Miller was pulled from Monday's game after allowing five goals in 24:32 -- with the last one set up by Detroit's Drew Miller, his younger brother. The Michigan State alums, from East Lansing, Mich., had family and friends watching at Joe Louis Arena. No Patrick Sharp, no problem. Well, OK, that's not even close to true for the Blackhawks, who miss the injured Sharp’s 20 goals and 20 assists in their top-six forward mix. However, Chicago is managing his absence thanks to a few so-called "secondary scorers" getting red-hot at the right time. Viktor Stalberg and Dave Bolland both have 5 goals in the past five games, while rookies Andew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes continue to make their presence felt every time they put their skate blades on the ice. Of course, it also doesn't hurt to have a top line that's centered by star captain Jonathan Toews with talented forward Patrick Kane to his right. Stalberg's on that line as well, and the San Jose Sharks found out firsthand how dominating they can be on Sunday night at the United Center. They hounded the puck, protected it once they got it and then deposited it into the net. Toews and Stalberg both scored and added assists, while Kane set up Toews' goal in the second period. The Sabres want to win badly on the road and shake the slump, but this may not be the place to get it done. 
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