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Eastern Conference powers collide in New Jersey

Feb 3, 2007 - 4:24 PM Buffalo (35-14-4) at New Jersey (31-15-6) 7:30 pm EST

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Playing the New Jersey Devils is an entirely different experience than playing the Boston Bruins. The Buffalo Sabres are about to find that out firsthand.

Fresh off a home-and-home sweep of the Bruins, the Sabres on Saturday visit the Devils in a game between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

Ahead in the conference standings for the majority of the season, Buffalo has won two in a row following its second three-game losing streak of the campaign. The Sabres also dropped three straight from January 11-15.

Sandwiched between the skids were a pair of victories, including one over the Bruins. Three of the Sabres' last four wins have been over their Northeast Division rivals, with Buffalo outscoring Boston, 16-5. The most recent triumph came Thursday, when Chris Drury scored a pair of goals in a 3-1 victory.

A co-captain of the Sabres, Drury has had success scoring recently, tallying six times in the last six games. Daniel Briere, Buffalo's other co-captain and the MVP of last week's All-Star Game, also has been finding the net of late, scoring five goals in as many contests.

But despite leading the NHL with 200 goals, the Sabres will be facing one of the league's best defensive clubs in the Devils, who have yielded just 125 tallies. Only the San Jose Sharks have surrendered fewer (121).

New Jersey has struggled in its own end over the last three games, however, giving up a combined 13 goals in going 1-1-1.

The Atlantic Division-leading Devils enter Saturday's matchup having earned at least a point in eight of their last nine games (6-1-2). Brian Gionta has been one of the team's hottest players, scoring four times in his last five contests.

In the only previous meeting between the teams this season on December 12, Briere collected three assists as the Sabres allowed a pair of goals in the final minute of the third period but hung on for a 3-2 victory.