Preview - Flames @ Sabres

FLAMES (8-11-1) VS. SABRES (6-8-4)
BROADCAST INFO: 5:00 PM MT; Sportsnet West (TV), Sportsnet 960 The FAN (radio)
SEASON SERIES: Tonight's match between the Calgary Flames and the Buffalo Sabres is the second and final game between the two teams. The Flames and Sabres clashed early in the season on Oct. 18 and Calgary skated to a 4-3 overtime win. Sean Monahan notched the overtime winner 2:26 into the extra session. The Flames would enter the third period on that night down 2-1 to the Sabres but rallied with a pair of goals to tie the game. Matthew Tkachuk tallied his first ever NHL goal to draw the Flames even and send the game to overtime.

FLAMES TEAM SCOPE: The Flames edged the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night by a score of 3-2. Mikael Backlund scored the game-winning goal at 12:14 of the third period. Garnet Hathaway scored his first NHL goal and Dougie Hamilton recorded three assists in the contest. Chad Johnson got his fourth consecutive start for Calgary and turned aside 20 shots. The Flames have won three of their last four games. Thier only loss in that span was a 3-2 setback to the Chicago Blackhawks, a game which Marian Hossa scored the game-winning goal with just 2:32 left in the third period. Tonight's match will be the Flames' second of a six-game Eastern road swing that will also take them to Columbus, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
SABRES TEAM SCOPE:Anders Nilsson made 46 saves, and Cal O'Reilly scored in the shootout to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The victory snapped a six-game losing skid for Buffalo and gave the Sabres a 6-8-4 record and 16 points on the year. Buffalo currently sits last in the Atlantic Division and have scored the fewest goals in the NHL with 32, an average of just 1.78 goals per game. Kyle Okposo, who was inked to a seven-year contract by the Sabres on Jul. 1, 2016, leads the team in scoring with five goals and 10 points in 17 games. Robin Lehner has suited up for 13 games in goal for Buffalo and has a 4-7-2 record with a .919 save-percentage and a 2.53 GAA.