The Montreal Canadiens (26-14-7) are set to the Buffalo Sabres (25-16-4), with the puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET. […]

The Buffalo Sabres are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. Winners of 14 out of their last 16 games, the team has quickly leapt from bottom of the Ea

With 14 wins in their past 16 games, the Buffalo Sabres are currently in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and are coming off a key 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

Michael Kesselring (ankle) was back on the ice with the team Saturday morning but will need a few more practices before he’s ready to re-enter the lineup. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Saturday that a decision on Kesselring’s playing status will come “midweek.”

The Buffalo Sabres notched a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night at KeyBank Center, powered by a pair of power-play goals from Rasmus Dahlin. The victory moved Buffalo (25-16-4, 54 points) back into the first wild card position in the Eastern Conference,

The Sabres find themselves outside of the top-eight in the conference, in spite of going 13-2 in the last 15 games, but could move back into a wildcard spot with a win over the Flyers, who they are tied in the standing with at 52 points.

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres square off in Eastern Conference action. New York has a 5-10-4 record in home games and a 20-18-6 record overall. The Rangers are 17-2-1 when scoring at least three goals. Buffalo is 22-15-4 overall and 9-10-2 in road games. The Sabres have a 20-3-3 record when scoring at least three goals.

And what matters most to Dahlin is that he’s contributing to wins. The Sabres have now won 14 of their past 16 games and are sitting in a wild-card position with a .600 points percentage. And they get another big game in the standings when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

Owen Parker breaks down the last five games from the Buffalo Sabres as they continue their hot run of form, picking up eight points out of a possible ten.

Two teams in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings square off when the Buffalo Sabres (25-16-4, sixth in conference) host the Montreal Canadiens (26-14-7, fourth) at KeyBank Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Buffalo secured a 5-2 home victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in its last game on Jan. 14.

Late in the game, the Sabres were clinging to a lead as the Canucks were pressing for a comeback. As a Canucks player carried the puck through the neutral zone, Zach Benson hustled back, lifted his stick and stole the puck before the offensive rush could even get started.