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OILERS (14-10-3) at SABRES (9-10-6)
7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SNW, NHL.TV

Oilers team scope

Forwards Matt Hendricks and Jesse Puljujarvi return to action and Benoit Pouliot and Anton Slepyshev will sit for the Edmonton Oilers when they face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, following the Oilers 2-1 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. "It's never that easy, it's not just pulling straws," coach Todd McLellan said. "It's looking at what individuals have accomplished, the opportunities that they've been given and how much they're getting done in that situation. It's time for a change, it's time to get those other ones back in and see if they can give us more." One player who has been consistent of late is forward Leon Draisaitl, who has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in the past 11 games. "When Leon skates, things get done," McLellan said. "He can play the game standing still and make great passes, but when he combines that with his ability to hold people off and skate, that makes a difference." Center Connor McDavid leads the NHL in scoring with 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) and will face off against Sabres center Jack Eichel for the second time. "It's certainly not as big a deal as last year and that's to be expected, that's good," McDavid said. "I think it can be a bit of a sideshow sometimes, and this year we get to focus on playing and that's kind of nice. It still should be a good one tonight." Goaltender Cam Talbot, who has two straight wins, will start.

Sabres team scope

Eichel appeared to tweak his left ankle during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday, but stayed in the game and will be in the lineup Tuesday. It's the same ankle he sprained on Oct. 12 that caused him to miss the first 21 games of the season. "Going through an injury like this, you know it's going to come back and bother you at times," Eichel said. "It's fine now, [I'm good to play]." Eichel hasn't had a point in the past two games after he had three goals and an assist in his first two since returning. "It's been a very good situation for him with his ankle," coach Dan Bylsma said. "Occasionally you tweak it a few times a game. He's played four games and had the one incident. … That's really the only time he's felt it, which is pretty remarkable." The Sabres will have the same lineup against Edmonton they used against Washington, but goaltender Anders Nilsson will start for the eighth time this season. Robin Lehner made 30 saves against the Capitals.

Oilers projected lineup

Milan Lucic -- Connor McDavid -- Leon Draisaitl
Pat Maroon -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Jordan Eberle
Jesse Puljujarvi -- Drake Caggiula -- Zack Kassian
Matt Hendricks -- Mark Letestu -- Tyler Pitlick
Kris Russell -- Adam Larsson
Andrej Sekera -- Matt Benning
Oscar Klefbom -- Mark Fayne
Cam Talbot
Jonas Gustavsson
Scratched:Benoit Pouliot, Dillon Simpson, Anton Slepyshev
Injured:Iiro Pakarainen (knee), Darnell Nurse (lower body), Brandon Davidson (upper body), Eric Gryba (undisclosed)

Sabres projected lineup

William Carrier -- Ryan O'Reilly -- Kyle Okposo
Evander Kane -- Jack Eichel -- Sam Reinhart
Marcus Foligno -- Johan Larsson -- Brian Gionta
Matt Moulson -- Derek Grant -- Zemgus Girgensons
Jake McCabe -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Brendan Guhle -- Cody Franson
Justin Falk -- Erik Burgdoerfer
Anders Nilsson
Robin Lehner
Scratched:None
Injured:Taylor Fedun (shoulder), Josh Gorges (non-displaced foot fracture), Dmitry Kulikov (lower back), Tyler Ennis (groin), Zach Bogosian (MCL sprain), Nicolas Deslauriers (knee), Cody McCormick (blood clots)

Status report

The Sabres did not skate on Tuesday. … Kulikov rejoined the Sabres at practice on Sunday and is aiming to return perhaps as soon as Friday against Washington.

Who's hot

Lucic has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past eight games. … Maroon has two goals and an assist in a three-game point streak. … Reinhart has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past five games.