(Sports Network) - The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens can both improve their standing in the playoff race when they meet in a Northeast Division matchup tonight at the Bell Centre. You can see all the action on TSN beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Canadiens have 87 points on the year and are just one behind Boston for the division lead. The Sabres have 79 points, and sit three up on Carolina and five up on Toronto with all three of those teams playing on Tuesday night. Montreal is currently the sixth seed in the conference and are eight points ahead of tonights opponent in the East standings. However, the Sabres, who are three points ahead of Carolina for the eighth and final playoff seed, would be in the postseason if the regular season ended today. The Canadiens have taken three of five from Buffalo this season, but the Sabres have won the last two encounters, including a 3-2 shootout win in the most recent meeting between the clubs on Feb. 15 in Montreal. Buffalo has won six of 10 overall in the series and four out of six at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens will try to keep their offense on the right track tonight after turning in Sundays 8-1 thrashing of the Wild in Minnesota. P.K. Subban tallied the first hat trick of his career and added an assist in the blowout win at Xcel Energy Center. Subban became the first rookie defenseman in Canadiens history to record a hat trick. Ryan White had a goal and two assists while James Wisniewski added a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who won for the eighth time in their past 11 games. Benoit Pouliot added three assists while Alex Auld stopped 30 shots. Carey Price is expected to start in net tonight and is sporting a 3-0-2 record and a 1.57 goals-against average in five games against the Sabres this season. Montreal has played the last three games without forwards Jeff Halpern (lower body) and Tomas Plekanec (lower body). The duo is questionable for tonights game, as is defenseman Brent Sopel, who has sat out the last six tests with an injured left hand. The Canadiens have a solid 22-9-6 record as the host this year and have won three of their last four in Quebec. Buffalo will try to bounce back from a frustrating overtime loss when it takes the ice tonight. The Sabres dropped a 4-3 OT decision against visiting Nashville on Sunday despite holding a two-goal lead with less than three minutes left in the third period. Nashvilles Blake Geoffrion scored twice in 64 seconds near the end of regulation to complete his hat trick and pull Nashville even. Martin Erat then scored 27 seconds into overtime to give the Predators a well-earned two points. "When youre up by two with a couple of minutes left and you give up a point it really hurts," said Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff. Tim Connolly, Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis scored for the Sabres, who have dropped two of their last three games. Ryan Miller was tagged for all four goals on 26 shots. Miller, who will likely get the start tonight, is 1-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA in three games against the Habs this year. The Sabres are expected to be without forward Jochen Hecht for a fourth straight game tonight. Hecht, who has 12 goals and 28 points this season, is dealing with an upper body injury. Buffalo defenseman Steve Montador is questionable with a lower body injury after sitting out Sundays test. Buffalo is 19-12-5 as the visiting team this season, but has dropped two of its last three away from western New York. Capitals can clinch playoff spot vs. Flyers on TSN2 (Sports Network) - The Washington Capitals will try to draw even with the Philadelphia Flyers atop the Eastern Conference tonight, but they will have to do so without the help of Alex Ovechkin. Its a game you can catch on TSN2 beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Capitals enter tonights game at Philadelphias Wells Fargo Center trailing the Flyers by two points for the conferences top seed and theyll try to knock off Philly without the services of their captain and leading scorer. Washington announced on Monday that Ovechkin will miss the next 7-to-10 days with an undisclosed ailment. Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau said that Ovechkin has been bothered by this particular issue for several months, and general manager George McPhee added that the sixth-year winger needs some time to get completely healed. The Caps can also clinch a playoff spot tonight with either a win over the Flyers or a loss by the Carolina Hurricanes against Ottawa. With Washington in the midst of a stretch where it has just four games scheduled in a 10-day span, this seemed to be a good time to give Ovechkin the rest he needs. The 25-year-old Russian is having one of his lesser statistical seasons, but is still leading Washington in goals (29) and assists (48). Ovechkin is also a plus-22 in head coach Bruce Boudreaus new defensive-oriented system. In addition to being just two points behind the Flyers, Washington is also five points up on the second-place Lightning in the Southeast Division. The Capitals have won 10 of their last 11 games to take control of the division. Philadelphia, which has two games in hand over the Caps, is riding a six-game point streak with a 4-0-2 record since a four-game losing streak. With 96 points, the Flyers are four points ahead of idle Pittsburgh for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers will host the Penguins on Thursday. Tonights tilt is the fourth and final regular-season meeting between the Flyers and Capitals this season, and, if the first three encounters of 2010-11 are any indication, this evenings game could be headed past regulation. All three encounters this year have bled into overtime and Philadelphia has won the last two meetings after Washingtons 3-2 OT victory on Nov. 7. The Caps have won five of eight overall in the series and Boudreaus club has taken six of its last nine tests in Philadelphia. Washington had a nine-game winning streak halted last Wednesday in Detroit, but rebounded with Fridays road shutout win over New Jersey. Michal Neuvirth stopped 33 shots for his fourth shutout of the season to help the Caps take a 3-0 win over the Devils. "He was pretty good and you could tell he wanted it tonight," said Boudreau of Neuvirth. "He was pretty upset with the last goal he gave up to Detroit and wanted to prove himself tonight. He was the difference in this game." Mike Knuble had two goals and an assist while Jeff Schultz scored the other goal for the Capitals, who are playing the fourth test of a six-game road trip tonight. Washington has won seven of its last eight road tilts and is 20-13-3 as the guest this season. The Flyers became the first team in the East to clinch a playoff spot this season when they notched a shootout win Saturday night in Dallas. Ville Leinos goal in the sixth round of the shootout lifted Philadelphia to the important 3-2 victory at American Airlines Center. "Its kind of nice ... not to be desperate and win every game," said Leino. "I think its going to be good to get rest." Jeff Carter and Mike Richards scored in regulation for the Flyers, who last season needed to beat the Rangers in a shootout on the final day of the regular season to make the playoffs. Philadelphia made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring despite waiting until the 11th hour to clinch a postseason berth. Sergei Bobrovsky got the win Saturday with 27 stops to help Philadelphia clinch its 15th playoff trip in the last 16 seasons. The Flyers have a 21-10-4 home record this season, but have lost three of their last four tests in south Philadelphia. Nike Roshe Run Oreo . Confusion set in when the British driver felt a searing pain before he ever reached it. Tristan Vautier, unable to see through the smoke of Wilsons spinning car, had driven directly into the side of Wilsons car. Nike Air Max 90 Essential Sale . When the Washington defenceman was asked about his feat after the Capitals beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 Friday night, Wideman said he thought his third goal went off teammate Brooks Laich. Nike Air Max 90 Essential Wit . Finally. After years of losing and players finding trouble, the Indiana Pacers finally gave their fans something to really cheer about. Nike Air Max 90 Dames Sale .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.(SportsNetwork.com) - Fresh off a victory in the 2014 Winter Classic, the Toronto Maple Leafs will aim for their first four-game winning streak of the season when they host the New York Rangers in Saturdays Original Six clash at Air Canada Centre. Toronto had won two straight heading into Wednesdays outdoor game, which was hosted by the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium. The Maple Leafs battled the Red Wings and snowy conditions en route to a 3-2 shootout decision in Ann Arbor. After both teams scored once in the shootout, Tyler Bozak lit the lamp as Torontos third and final shooter to allow the Maple Leafs to skate away with a memorable victory. Bozak skated through the middle and fired a low shot past the stick side of Jimmy Howard for the win. James van Riemsdyk and Bozak supplied Torontos regulation goals, while Jonathan Bernier turned aside 41-of-43 shots to allow the Leafs to jump over Detroit in the Atlantic Division standings and win their third straight. The Leafs are one point ahead of Detroit for fourth place, but are still five points behind Montreal for the third of the Atlantics three automatic playoff berths. "It was something really special that, as a hockey player, youre never going to forget that," Bernier said of playing in the Winter Classic. Toronto is beginning a brief two-game homestand tonight and also will welcome the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The Leafs are 14-8-11 on home ice this season compared to a 7-8-4 mark everywhere else.dddddddddddd The Rangers had won four straight in Toronto before the Maple Leafs recorded a 4-3 regulation decision against the visiting Blueshirts on April 8 of last season. New York has won five of six in the series overall and posted a 2-1 shootout decision when the Leafs visited Madison Square Garden on Dec. 23. New York had won two straight and four of five before getting slammed 5-2 in Pittsburgh on Friday. The Penguins led 4-0 after 40 minutes and were able to keep the Rangers at bay in the third period. Mats Zuccarello picked up a goal and assist for the Rangers, while Henrik Lundqvist gave up all five goals on 28 shots in defeat. "We didnt trust each other defensively and we gave them too much space," Zuccarello admitted. "Pittsburgh is a good team and its easy to get confused about assignments when its not tight." In addition to the defeat, the Rangers also lost forward Derek Dorsett to a broken left fibula suffered while blocking a shot. Dorsett, who has three goals, two assists and 103 penalty minutes in 37 games this season, is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks of action. The Rangers fell to 2-2-0 on a five-game road trip that wraps up tonight in Toronto. New York has been better on the road than at home this season, going 12-10-0 away from the Big Apple compared to an 8-10-2 mark at Madison Square Garden. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '