The Buffalo Sabres can keep their playoff hopes alive with a win tonight against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.
The Sabres remained in the race with a thrilling, come-from-behind shootout victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Casey Mittelstadtscored the tying goal with 11:47 remaining in regulation and added the winner in the shootout.
That result - combined with a regulation loss for the Islanders in Washington and an overtime loss for the Panthers against the Maple Leafs - brought the Sabres within four points of the second Wild Card spot with three games left to play.
Coverage tonight begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG. The puck drops at 7.
New Jersey will have its own motivation tonight. While the Devils have locked up their playoff spot, they can finish anywhere from first to third in the Metropolitan Division. They currently sit in second place, one point behind the Hurricanes and one ahead of the Rangers.
Jack Hughes enters tonight on a six-game point streak with two goals and eight assists in that span. He leads the Devils with 42 goals and 96 points.
The Sabres and Devils have split the first two games of the season series, both of which were played in Buffalo. The Sabres won the most recent matchup 5-4 on March 24, fueled by two goals and an assist from Alex Tuch.