Minnesota Wild (22-13-2, third in the Central Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (19-15-2, fourth in the Atlantic Division)
Buffalo, New York; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the Minnesota Wild after Tage Thompson recorded a hat trick in the Sabres' 5-4 overtime win against the Washington Capitals.
Buffalo is 19-15-2 overall and 8-8-2 at home. The Sabres rank first in NHL play with 142 total goals (averaging 3.9 per game).
Minnesota has a 22-13-2 record overall and a 10-6-1 record on the road. The Wild have allowed 102 goals while scoring 118 for a +16 scoring differential.
Saturday's game is the first time these teams match up this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jeff Skinner has 17 goals and 22 assists for the Sabres. Thompson has nine goals and six assists over the last 10 games.
Kirill Kaprizov has 22 goals and 25 assists for the Wild. Mats Zuccarello has seven goals and five assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 3.8 goals, 6.4 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Wild: 8-2-0, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.5 assists, 4.7 penalties and 12.9 penalty minutes while giving up 1.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Sabres: Owen Power: out (lower body).
Wild: Jake Middleton: out (illness), Marcus Foligno: out (lower-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
