Raleigh, NC (My Sportsbook) - The Buffalo Sabres try to put the brakes on a six-game winless streak tonight when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center.

Buffalo is 0-4-2 during the skid, and has won only once since beginning the season with convincing victories over the Islanders and Canadiens. On Sunday the Sabres, playing the fifth installment of a six-game road trip, dropped a 3-2 decision to Columbus at Nationwide Arena.

Stu Barnes and Jochen Hecht scored to give the Sabres a 2-0 first-period lead, but the Jackets got on the scoreboard in the second and took command with two power-play tallies in the third. Buffalo had a 5-on-3 power play for two minutes late in the final frame, but the Columbus defense and goaltender Marc Denis weathered the storm.

The Sabres' offensive attack has, to put it mildly, struggled since scoring a combined 11 goals in the season's first two matches. In the last 10 games, Lindy Ruff's squad has managed a mere 15 tallies.

Winger Miroslav Satan missed Sunday's contest with a bruised hip and watched his streak of 256 consecutive games come to an end. Satan, who is tied for the team lead with four goals, is expected to sit again this evening.

Buffalo, 1-4-2 on the road, returns home to face Atlanta on Saturday. The contest will open a three-game HSBC Arena set for the Sabres.

Carolina, meanwhile, had a four-game unbeaten streak snapped in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss to Philadelphia. Philly's John LeClair scored 1:56 into overtime, swiping the puck past goaltender Kevin Weekes after finding the rebound of a Justin Williams shot.

Former Flyer Rod Brind'Amour scored the lone goal for the Hurricanes, who were outshot, 31-18. The hard-nosed centerman knotted the score with a power-play goal 5:29 into the second period. Brind'Amour is off to a tremendous start in the campaign's first month or so, and leads Carolina with eight goals and is tied atop the club at 13 points (Jeff O'Neill).

Weekes made 29 saves as he continued to hog the playing time from Arturs Irbe, who was the incumbent starter entering the season. Irbe hasn't seen the crease in a live game since a 4-1 loss to Ottawa on October 23. Weekes, on the other hand, has made the last five starts, and has played his way into the NHL's top five in both goals-against average (5th, 1.93) and save-percentage (2nd, .937).

The Canes are 1-0-1-1 in the first three installments of a nine-game homestand, and will resume the set Saturday versus Pittsburgh.

Buffalo went 2-1-1 against Carolina last season, and is 8-6-1 in the last 15 meetings overall. The Sabres are 1-0-1 in their last two trips to Raleigh.