Antipin returns to lineup for Sabres in Edmonton

EDMONTON - Following an "embarrassing" loss at home to the Dallas Stars on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres responded by putting together perhaps as complete a defensive performance as they've had all season in a 2-1 overtime victory in Calgary on Monday night.
They'll look to replicate that performance when their road trip continues in Edmonton on Tuesday.
"We can't rest," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "Where we are, we've got to continue to build. That really was a sore spot, the last game at home. When you think about where we are and the game we played against Calgary, it's there. When the guys really dig in and really prepare and have a good mindset of what it takes to win, we can play a very solid game."

The Sabres will be without Nathan Beaulieu on defense, who returned from a three-game absence on Monday only to leave with an injury on his second shift after a fight with Calgary forward Curtis Lazar. Housley said that Beaulieu has returned to Buffalo and will be reevaluated on Wednesday.
Victor Antipin will replace Beaulieu in the lineup, marking the end of a 13-game absence that included a bout with the flu. Antipin said he went two days without eating and lost around 10 pounds while ill, but he's been practicing with the team since Jan. 9.
Housley said he'll be looking for an aggressive performance from the defenseman, who's tallied four assists and averaged 15:10 in 24 games this season.
"He's had some really good games when he's bounced back," Housley said. "He's taken charge down low, he's been assertive, aggressive defending. But his puck movement and getting back for pucks and making that first clean pass out of our zone, that's what we're looking for. And also adding onto the rush, he picks his spot really well so we'd like to see him get up and get involved."
Matt Tennyson, who was recalled Tuesday morning to serve as an extra body on defense, will be a healthy scratch.
Coverage on MSG-B begins at 8:30 p.m. with the GMC Game Night Pregame Show, or you can listen live on WGR 550. Puck drops is scheduled for just after 9.

Scouting the Oilers

The Oilers have struggled for large chunks of their season and, as it stands, the team that came one win away from a trip to the Western Conference Final last spring now sits 12 points removed from the second wild card berth.
Edmonton has, however, won its last three games, including a 5-2 victory at home over Vancouver on Saturday. Connor McDavid leads the team and ranks 10th in the NHL with 53 points (15+38), including five assists on their current win streak.
"They've probably gained some confidence these past three games that they've won and he's been a big part of it," Housley said. "We understand that when he's on the ice, we have to be aware of him. His speed is deadly so that tells me we better make good puck decisions and not feed their transition."
The Sabres were able to shut down McDavid in the first meeting between the two teams this season, a 3-1 win in Buffalo on Nov. 24. McDavid was held to three shot attempts and no points, thanks largely in part to the efforts of Marco Scandella and Rasmus Ristolainen.

Numbers to know

Jack Eichel now has 10 points (4+6) during his six-game point streak after scoring the overtime winner on Monday, and his 21 points (11+10) in 15 games dating back to Dec. 14 ranks fourth in the NHL during that span.
Ristolainen has 10 points (3+7) in his last 10 games and logged a season-high 32:26 of ice time in Calgary on Monday. The defenseman has now logged 30-plus minutes on three separate occasions this season.
The Sabres will have an opportunity to win the special teams battle, meanwhile, against an Oilers team that is just 1-for-22 on the power play in their last nine games and ranks last in the NHL with a 55.9 percent success rate on the penalty kill at home.