(Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images)

As the Carolina Hurricanes continue to thrive atop the Eastern Conference standings, the Buffalo Sabres seem poised to improve their lowly status.

With at least one point in five straight contests, the visiting Hurricanes will try to cool off the surging Sabres on Sunday afternoon.

Carolina entered Saturday tied for the NHL lead with 14 victories and has only five regulation losses in 21 games this season. The Hurricanes improved to 2-0-1 on their four-game trip with Friday's 4-3 victory at Winnipeg.

Jordan Staal scored twice while Seth Jarvis recorded his team-leading 11th goal for Carolina for its seventh win in one-goal contests this season. Staal has notched four of his seven goals in the past four games for the Hurricanes, who close out the trip in Buffalo, where they are 0-3-1 since a 5-1 victory on Feb. 1, 2023.

'It's a mental grind, especially the last game of a road trip,' Staal said. 'It's just about being professional. ... Showing up ready to work. I think the boys will be ready in Buffalo.'

Though the Hurricanes have struggled at Buffalo of late, they earned a 6-3 home win over the Sabres on Nov, 8. Staal had an assist in that contest, while Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov were two of four Carolina players to post a goal with an assist. Aho has 17 goals and 14 assists in 23 career games against the Sabres.

Carolina has started three different goaltenders on this trip, including Pyotr Kochetkov, who stopped 19-of-22 shots versus Buffalo earlier this month. Kochetkov, Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen have a combined 2.81 goals-against average in 2025-26.

Though the Sabres sit last in the East with 20 points, they've won three of their past four contests, thanks to a sudden rise in production. After recording five goals or more twice in the first 17 games, they've done so three times during the past four.

Josh Doan scored twice, Jason Zucker had a goal with two assists and Alex Tuch added four helpers during Buffalo's 9-3 home rout of Chicago on Friday. A total of 14 different players had at least one point for the Sabres, who have earned seven of their eight total wins this season on home ice.

'(A) focal point for us was to make sure we didn't change our game once we got the lead, and I think you saw a full 60 (minutes) for the first time in a while out of us,' said Doan, the third-year winger who already has matched his career high with seven goals.

Buffalo star Tage Thompson scored in his fifth consecutive contest Friday, and has eight of his team-leading 20 points during that span. Thompson has three goals with three assists in his past seven games versus Carolina.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 20 saves Friday for Buffalo in his first start since Nov. 13. Meanwhile, teammate Alex Lyon (3.07 GAA in 12 starts) has not started since stopping 29-of-33 shots at Carolina earlier this season.

Svechnikov has three goals and 13 assists in 15 career games against the Sabres.

--Field Level Media