Buffalo @ Columbus preview
Nationwide Arena
Last Meeting ( Dec 30, 2023 ) Columbus 2, Buffalo 3
The Buffalo Sabres have been at home on the road over the past month and change, a trend they'll look to continue when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
The Sabres have won four straight away from home and are 6-1 in their past seven games as the visitor after rallying for a 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. Overall, they're 13-11-3 in opposing rinks.
"I think we just go in and play," forward Alex Tuch said. "I think we're not worried about anything, we're just having some fun. Got some good team camaraderie ... and we've got a father's trip going on so it's been a lot of fun to start this trip off with a win."
Jeff Skinner ended a nine-game goal drought with a power-play tally against the Canadiens, his 18th of the season -- second on the team behind JJ Peterka. The veteran not only struggled to find the back of the net, he also only managed one assist during those nine games.
Now that he's off the schneid, the hope is the goals keep coming.
"That's the plan, hopefully," Skinner said with a laugh. "Thanks for saying it. I think for the last couple of games, maybe some spurts in games before that, me, (Tage Thompson), and obviously we're back with Tuchy ... we've had some good looks and just haven't been able to get a bounce or finish it off. I think there's chances out there and if we keep creating them, I think it'll turn around."
The Blue Jackets return home after going 2-2 on a four-game road swing that concluded with a 7-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. Columbus built up a 4-0 lead by early in the second period before the Ducks scored four consecutive goals in the frame to tie it. The Blue Jackets tallied three times in the third to claim the two points.
"I thought we played a good first period, second period not so much, and third period back to the way we know we can play," forward Sean Kuraly said. "I guess it's a lot easier to learn when you end up winning, so hopefully we can take that into account that we can still learn a lesson and win a game."
Columbus, which sits last in the Eastern Conference, will be searching for consecutive wins -- a rare occurrence for the team this season. The Blue Jackets haven't won two in a row since a pair of victories against the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils back on Nov. 22 and Nov. 24.
While not much has gone right for the team this season, one positive over the past two months has been the play of Johnny Gaudreau. After mustering just 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) through his first 30 games of the season, the 30-year-old has found his game over the past two months with 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) in 25 games.
"Obviously I didn't really like the way I started the season with my play, but recently, I've been playing a lot better," Gaudreau said. "I've been a lot harder on pucks and stuff. I guess just lead by example on the ice as much as I can and go from there."
--Field Level Media