The Sabres are last in the NHL with 2.07 goals per game. They have scored one goal in a four-game losing streak and are 1-9-2 in their past 12 games. Buffalo opened a four-game road trip with a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday and has lost six consecutive games (0-4-2) away from KeyBank Center.
The Avalanche have lost two straight home games and three of the first four (1-3-0) of a five-game homestand.
Players to watch
Forward Scott Wilson will make his Sabres debut after being acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on Monday. Wilson, 25, will play left wing on a line with center
Evan Rodrigues
and right wing Kyle Okposo.
Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his past nine games and 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in his past 15.
They said it
"We've had a terrible start to the year and I don't think I've contributed the way I need to. It's probably the worst start I've had in my career. I'm not impacting the game the way I want to. I'm one of the guys that has a lot of responsibility on me. I have to be better." -- Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly (7-9-16, minus-19 in 26 games)
"I believe in this group. We lost three in a row earlier in the year and everyone was like, 'Oh, here's the old Avalanche,' and we proved that not to be the case. I believe we're going to do that again." -- Avalanche coach Jared Bednar
Sabres projected lineup
Evander Kane -- Jack Eichel -- Jason Pominville
Benoit Pouliot -- Ryan O'Reilly --
Hudson Fasching
Scott Wilson -- Evan Rodrigues -- Kyle Okposo
Jordan Nolan -- Johan Larsson -- Sam Reinhart
Marco Scandella -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Jake McCabe -- Zach Bogosian
Josh Gorges -- Victor Antipin
Robin Lehner
Chad Johnson
Scratched: Justin Falk, Zemgus Girgensons
Injured:Nathan Beaulieu (illness), Taylor Fedun (lower body), Jacob Josefson (ankle)
Avalanche projected lineup
J.T. Compher -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Tyson Jost -- Alex Kerfoot -- Nail Yakupov
Matt Nieto -- Carl Soderberg -- Blake Comeau
Sven Andrighetto -- Colin Wilson --
Rocco Grimaldi
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson
Anton Lindholm -- Tyson Barrie
Nikita Zadorov -- Duncan Siemens
Semyon Varlamov
Jonathan Bernier
Scratched:Gabriel Bourque
Injured:Vladislav Kamenev (broken arm), Patrik Nemeth (back)
Suspended:Gabriel Landeskog
Status report
Rodrigues was recalled from Rochester of the American Hockey League. ... Grimaldi was recalled from San Antonio of the AHL. ... Siemens will make his season debut. … The Sabres loaned forward Matt Moulson, who was placed on waivers Monday, to the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate in Ontario.
Stat pack
The Sabres are 0-for-26 on the power play in their past nine games ... Colorado has won its past six home games against Buffalo.
