Minnesota @ Buffalo preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2019 ) Minnesota 4, Buffalo 5

The Buffalo Sabres are trying to rediscover the form that won them nine of their first 12 games this season as they host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Buffalo has lost seven of its last eight games (1-5-2) after a 4-1 setback at Chicago on Sunday with the only victory during that stretch coming Saturday, when Jack Eichel scored four goals in a 4-2 victory over Ottawa.

The injury bug is hitting the Sabres' forward unit hard as Tage Thompson sustained a shoulder injury in his season debut Sunday - one day after Kyle Okposo suffered a concussion - while Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson (both upper body) will also miss Tuesday's game with Vladimir Sobotka (lower body) already out. "Losing a forward a game now for five games in a row has been quite disruptive,'' Sabres coach Ralph Krueger told reporters. "But the guys are working hard to find the right path." Minnesota, which has the fewest points in the Western Conference, alternated wins and losses over its last six games after falling 4-3 in overtime to Carolina on Saturday. "It's a work in progress until we find a way to win a game or two, and then it's amazing how the confidence builds positively rather than negatively." Wild coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin, FS North (Minnesota), MSG Buffalo

ABOUT THE WILD (7-11-2): Eric Staal (team-high 14 points) and Zach Parise each have a team-high six goals but are a combined minus-24. Mats Zuccarello, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract during the offseason, has three goals and seven points and has been kept off the scoresheet in the last four games. Rookie defenseman Carson Soucy, who is a plus-4 while averaging 13 minutes, 26 seconds of ice time, scored his first goal in his 20th career game Saturday.

ABOUT THE SABRES (10-7-3): Eichel scored his team-leading 13th goal Sunday and also paces the club with 24 points. Sam Reinhart (eight goals, 17 points) didn't record a point against Chicago after totaling three goals and three assists in his previous four games. Jeff Skinner has one of his eight goals in seven November games.

OVERTIME

1. Minnesota D Greg Pateryn (sports hernia), who has yet to play this season, was a full participant in Monday's practice with Boudreau telling reporters: “He’s probably going to get cleared on Wednesday or Thursday, so we’ll see what happens then.”

2. The Wild are 10-for-10 on the penalty kill in the last four games and 20-for-22 in their past eight while Buffalo is 0-for-18 on the power play in the last seven contests while killing only 11-of-18 penalties in its past five.

3. The Sabres won a pair of one-goal games to sweep the 2018-19 season series with D Rasmus Dahlin scoring in each contest and Eichel recording four assists.

PREDICTION: Sabres 3, Wild 2