Sabres bring struggling power play into matchup with Jackets

If the Buffalo Sabres hope to emerge from their season-long slump, they will need to improve on their power play.

The Sabres are tied for 26th in the NHL with the man advantage heading into their Saturday evening matchup against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.

Buffalo has been successful on just 13.3 percent of its power plays this season and has scored on just two of its past 29.

"We're overthinking everything," Sabres forward Alex Tuch said. "We're double-touching pucks. I'm double-touching on the goal line, putting them out of guys' reach, shooting when we shouldn't. We're not shooting when we should."

Buffalo finished ninth with the man advantage last season, converting on 24.4 percent of their power plays. Tuch said the Sabres are passing up prime scoring opportunities on the power play and not supporting each other on the ice.

"It's a snowball effect, and each guy has to look at one another and try to work for one another because it's five against four," Tuch said. "We shouldn't be out there and getting out-chanced."

The Sabres have dropped two in a row (0-1-1) and four of five (1-3-1), a stretch that included a 9-4 loss to the visiting Blue Jackets on Dec. 19. They haven't won three in a row all season or two straight since Oct. 29 against the Colorado Avalanche (4-0) and Nov. 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers (5-2).

Buffalo exited the holiday break hoping to turn things around but fell to the visiting Bruins 4-1 on Wednesday, which ended a four-game skid for Boston (0-2-2).

The Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back.

The Sabres have allowed 48 goals in the first period this season, the most in the NHL.

"It's something now that you mentally have to get over and move on," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "You can't have drag from what you didn't do or didn't get done, and that obviously is a challenge that you've got to move on quickly."

The Blue Jackets rallied to beat the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in overtime on Friday night, ending a three-game winless streak (0-1-2).

Blue Jackets forward Brendan Gaunce was among the six goal scorers against the Maple Leafs, giving him three points in five games since he was recalled from Cleveland of the AHL on Dec. 18.

Gaunce was brought up to fill the roster spot of forward Patrik Laine, who fractured his clavicle on Dec. 14 against the Maple Leafs and is expected to be out another four weeks.

Gaunce, a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, won't be counted on to replace the production of Laine, but Gaunce believes he can stick around on the fourth line.

"I put in the work every day," Gaunce said earlier in the week. "I feel like I'm an NHL player, whether that's at the start of the year or at the end of the year. Whenever I come up, I feel like I can play in the NHL and contribute the way I can, and it's just exciting to play."

Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins left after the first period against the Maple Leafs because of an illness. He was replaced by Spencer Martin, so it was unknown who would start in the second game of the back-to-back set.