SABRES (1-3-1) at BLACKHAWKS (2-2-1)


Big story: Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson returns to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for a hit on Sabres forward Jason Pominville that led to him suffering a concussion. Pominville left the ice on a stretcher and Hjalmarsson received a five-minute boarding major and game misconduct, in addition to the eventual supplementary discipline from the League. With that play still fresh in everyone's minds, it will be interesting to see how Buffalo approaches the game.

Team Scope:

Sabres: It would seem Buffalo has a lot more to worry about than retribution for Pominville's injury after the Sabres completed a four-game homestand with an 0-3-1 mark. Their offense ran completely dry over the last two games -- they picked up a point thanks to Ryan Miller in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Devils, then were stymied by Canadiens goalie Carey Price in a 2-1 defeat on Friday. Derek Roy finally ended a scoreless drought of 118 minutes, 55 seconds, with a third-period goal.

"We had a couple of bad bounces and it seems like we've had bad bounces fall on us," Roy said. "We're getting outworked at home and that's unacceptable."

Blackhawks: Corey Crawford earned the win in Buffalo earlier this week and could get the call after Marty Turco started the front end of a back-to-back on Friday and earned his first victory in a Chicago jersey, 5-2 in Columbus. Viktor Stalberg and Hossa staked the Blackhawks to an early lead with first-period goals 63 seconds apart, and Patrick Sharp tallied twice in the second to give Turco a little breathing room.

"It doesn't really feel like it's a load off my shoulders," said Turco, an offseason free-agent signing who came in with an 0-1-1 record, 3.42 goals-against average and .896 save percentage. "But it is nice, for sure, to win. I didn't put as much thought into it as a lot of people did."

Who's hot: Roy has 5 goals in as many games, tying him for the League lead, and is the closest thing the Sabres have right now to a hot shooter. Miller stopped 60 of 63 shots against the Devils and Canadiens, a .952 save percentage. … Hossa (4-4-8) leads the League in points and has at least one in each game for the Blackhawks. Tomas Kopecky (1-5-6) and Sharp (3-2-5) follow him on the team scoring chart.

Injury report: Pominville remains sidelined for Buffalo, which also lost defenseman Shaone Morrisonn in the New Jersey game to a groin injury. … Chicago forward Patrick Kane missed Friday's game due to illness while defenseman Brian Campbell is on injured reserve with a knee sprain.

Stat pack: The Sabres are off to their worst home start since losing seven in a row to begin the 1993-94 season. They won their only road game this season against the Senators. … Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have lost their first two games at the United Center after going 29-8-4 on home ice last season.