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Sabres trying to hold off Hurricanes

Feb 15, 2009 - 8:24 AM Carolina (27-24-5) at Buffalo (29-21-6), 6:00 pm EST

BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- With the playoffs getting closer, head-to-head meetings between contenders become even more important.

The eighth-place Buffalo Sabres will host the ninth-place Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday in a battle of Eastern Conference teams on the edge of the postseason race.

The Sabres, who are coming off Friday's dramatic 6-5 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks, currently own a five-point cushion on the Hurricanes for the final playoff spot in the East.

"The sweetest feeling is getting the two points," said captain Craig Rivet, who notched a career-high three assists. "Right now, the (playoff) race is so tight that personal things are not important for the team to move forward. We had a huge win."

Derek Roy scored the decisive goal in the fifth round of the bonus format after Jason Pominville tied the contest in the waning seconds of regulation. Buffalo, which squandered a pair of three-goal leads, faced a 5-4 deficit before Pominville knotted it with 3.9 seconds remaining, tipping in a shot from the point by Rivet.

The Hurricanes are hoping to avoid a third straight loss and losing even more ground in the playoff race. Carolina has managed just one goal over its previous two contests.

Dennis Seidenberg ended a five-period drought with his first goal in over three months during Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.