The Buffalo Sabres next stop on their road trip will be the United Center in Chicago, IL to take on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight on the NBC Sports Network. The Sabres are in a serious rut and are coming off a heartbreaking 5-0 loss on Monday night to the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks on Sunday 4-3 and continue to fight for first place in the NHL's Central Division.
Buffalo's loss on Monday is their 9th in a row on the road. They desperately need to get something going if there is any hope of gaining momentum before the NHL All-Star Break. The offense continues to struggle to capitalize on scoring opportunities and the defensive play still seems to be lacking for Buffalo. They currently have the 6th worst goal differential in the NHL with a -22. If the Sabres want to pick up two points tonight in Chicago, they need to score some goals and somehow hold off the talented Blackhawks' offense.
Chicago has two 20+ goal scorers on their roster, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp, and four other 10+ goal scorers, one of which includes Buffalo native, Patrick Kane. Unfortunately Sharp has been out on injured reserve since January 9, 2012 with a wrist injury and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. Fortunately, the entire team has combined for 150 goals so far this season which is 3rd best in the NHL behind the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Despite loosing a key player, they should still be able to get adequate scoring from deeper in the lineup. Combined with consistent goaltending from both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, the Blackhawks should continue to remain competitive in the wild, wild Western Conference.
As for tonight, the Buffalo Sabres will have to dig deep to overcome the embarrassment they faced on Monday night against Detroit. If Ryan Miller can look past that disappointing game in his home state, he could be the force to motivate this team to start playing better and maybe even pick up an upset win tonight in Chicago.
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