San Jose @ Buffalo preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 19, 2019 ) Buffalo 4, San Jose 3

The Buffalo Sabres' early-season success traveled well to California as the upstart club posted victories in the final two legs of their three-game trek through the state. The Sabres will complete their first home-and-home series against a Western Conference opponent since November 1996 when they host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

Casey Mittelstadt ended a six-game point drought with two goals and an assist in Buffalo's 3-0 win over Los Angeles on Thursday and added a late second-period tally two nights later in a 4-3 victory over San Jose. Fellow forward Marcus Johansson opened the scoring in the more recent contest for the Sabres, marking the eighth time in nine games that the team has done so this season. San Jose saw its three-game winning streak come to a halt in that contest despite captain Logan Couture continuing his torrid stretch with an assist on Tomas Hertl's power-play goal in the third period. Couture is riding a six-game point streak (one goal, six assists) while Hertl has three goals and as many assists in his last three contests.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS California (San Jose), MSG-B (Buffalo)

ABOUT THE SHARKS (3-5-0): San Jose continues to receive offensive production from its back end as Brent Burns has collected seven points (two goals, five assists) over his past five games while fellow defenseman Erik Karlsson has set up five goals during his four-game assist streak. "When you ask a guy to handle the puck as much as (Karlsson and Burns) do and make as many plays as they do, they're going to make some mistakes with it. You’ve got to live with that," coach Peter DeBoer said, per the San Jose Mercury News. "It might have been (Karlsson's) best game of the year so far, which is a good sign, because I think he's been getting better every night out." The 29-year-old Karlsson notched a pair of assists and logged a season-high 28:36 of ice time versus the Sabres.

ABOUT THE SABRES (7-1-1): Carter Hutton was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week on Monday after turning aside all 72 shots he faced in a pair of shutouts, including a franchise-record 47 against the Kings. The 33-year-old, who joined Bob Sauve as the lone Buffalo goaltender to collect multiple shutouts within his first five games of a season, sports a sterling 5-0-0 mark with a 1.40 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. Hutton has been pretty stingy in his career versus San Jose, posting a 5-2-1 record with two shutouts and a 1.74 GAAA in eight starts.

OVERTIME

1. San Jose RW Timo Meier has collected two goals and an assist in his last four games after being held off the scoresheet in his previous four.

2. Buffalo LW Jimmy Vesey has notched an assist in back-to-back contests heading into his 250th career game on Tuesday.

3. The Sharks recalled D Trevor Carrick and F Jonny Brodzinski on Monday from its American Hockey League affiliate in San Jose.

PREDICTION: Sabres 4, Sharks 2