Sabres @ Blues

Who will WIN this matchup?

Buffalo Sabres (21-11-5)

@ St. Louis Blues (14-16-4)

Starting Goalies:

Carter Hutton (BUF): Unconfirmed

Jake Allen (STL): Confirmed

Current odds:

Buffalo Sabres: (+115)

St. Louis Blues: (-135)

• The Buffalo Sabres have defied expectations beyond any other team this season, surging into contention in the Atlantic Division following a disastrous 2017-18 campaign in which they finished with the fewest points in the NHL. Buffalo entered the Christmas break on a high note with a 3-0 shutout of Anaheim and looks to carry the momentum into Thursday’s matchup at the St. Louis Blues. The Sabres ended a two-game slide by blanking the Ducks, which marked their 12th home win — one more than they had last season.

• The Blues have struggled for much of the season but also went into the holidays feeling good about themselves after posting a 3-1 win over Pacific Division-leading Calgary to close out a 2-1-0 road trip. “This team has really good character,” St. Louis interim coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve got some veterans who have been around a while. They know how to win.”

• Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, had a memorable moment when he scored a goal against Anaheim for his fourth tally of his rookie season and his first at home. “I’ve been waiting for it,” Dahlin admitted. “It was a great feeling. I’ve never scored in front of these kinds of fans. It was good that the first one was in a win.” The goals keep coming for Jeff Skinner, who ranks as one of the league’s best offseason acquisitions with an NHL second-best 26 after converting for the sixth time in seven games in Saturday’s win.

• St. Louis continues to get surprising production from its fourth line as Oskar Sundqvist supplied an insurance goal at Calgary to give him six tallies after scoring only twice in parts of his first three seasons. Linemate Ivan Barbashev, who netting a pair of tying tallies in back-to-back games earlier this month, added an assist and is three points shy of matching last season’s career high (13). “We’ve been playing now a lot together the last year,” Sundqvist said. “It feels like we know where we’re gonna be on the ice every time, and we’ve been finding each other really well.”

• Sabres F Sam Reinhart is riding a career-best 12-game point steak, the longest active run in the NHL.

• Blues F Vladimir Tarasenko has only two points — both goals — in December but has five tallies and five assists in 10 games versus Buffalo.

• Sabres captain Jack Eichel has nine goals and seven assists during an eight-game point streak.