ESPN NHL

Buffalo (45-21-6) at New Jersey (36-27-9) 7:30 pm EST

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) - With one losing streak ended, the Buffalo Sabres set their sights on stopping another.

The Sabres look to end a seven-game road losing drought against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday and move closer to their first playoff berth in four seasons.

Winless at New Jersey since February 22, 2001, Buffalo is fourth in the Eastern Conference with a six-point advantage over Philadelphia with 10 games to play.

J.P. Dumont scored twice and Tim Connolly added two assists in his first outing after missing seven games with a sprained left knee for Buffalo in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins, which ended a six-game losing streak.

However, Buffalo will be without defenseman Teppo Numminen, who will miss the next two weeks with a sprained knee.

New Jersey has won two of three and is tied with Tampa Bay and Montreal for sixth place in the East, with a five-point lead over Atlanta for ninth.

John Madden and Brian Gionta scored in regulation and Scott Gomez added the clincher in the shootout for the Devils in Tuesday's 3-2 triumph over the Ottawa Senators.

Martin Brodeur stopped made 36 saves for his 33rd win of the season and 436th of his career, leaving him one shy of tying Hall of Famer Jacques Plante for fourth place on the all-time list.

New Jersey has won two of the three encounters with Buffalo this season, including a 3-2 victory in their most recent encounter January 7.