Boston BruinsBoston Bruins vs. Buffalo SabresBuffalo Sabres Pick Center

Bet Now
Time: 01:00 P.M. EST Venue: KeyBank Center BUFFALO, N. Y. -- Jack Eichel has returned for the Buffalo Sabres, and as a result so has their scoring. The league's lowest scoring team has been playing at an entirely different level since the superstar sophomore returned on Tuesday. Eichel missed the first 21 games of the season with a high ankle sprain and has reignited Buffalo's offensive attack. Eichel had a goal and an assist in his first game of the season, helping to lead the Sabres to a 5-4 road win over the Ottawa Senators. He was even better in Buffalo's 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night. Eichel had two late goals in the third period to lift the Sabres over the top team in the Metropolitan Division. The Sabres (9-9-5) will look for more of the same in a matinee matchup against the Boston Bruins (13-10-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday." He's a difference-maker. He can open up a game at any time," Sabres captain Brian Gionta said of Eichel. "He's feared out there. He's a threat every time he's on the ice. You have to be aware of him. Other teams have to be aware of him, and it gets them back on their heels. Eichel has added a much-needed dose of speed along with a pure scoring touch that has been lacking for the Sabres for much of this season." It just kind of shows what kind of player he can be, what kind of player he is," Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma said. "He's a dynamic player and he brings so much to our team with speed and attack. And everyone feeds off it." The Sabres may be without one of their top defensemen against the Bruins. Veteran Josh Gorges was injured blocking a shot in the win over the Rangers." He got an X-ray after the game, he's going to get some more testing on it," Bylsma said, according to the team's website. "We're just kind of waiting to see the results of the next test." Robin Lehner will return between the pipes for Buffalo after suffering a hip injury on Tuesday against the Senators. Lehner has a record of 5-7-0 this season to go along with a save percentage of .921 and a goals against average of 2.40. The Bruins are coming off a 2-1 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak scored in the shootout for Boston, and Anton Khudobin was terrific in net after missing time this season with an upper-body injury. Torey Krug tied the game for Boston with 31.5 seconds remaining in regulation." It wasn't our prettiest game, it wasn't necessarily a good game by our standards. But those are goals throughout the season you feel like you earned and you deserved," Krug said. "So we worked and we worked, and it didn't matter how long it took in the third. Ultimately, it would pay off, and it did." Brad Marchand leads the Bruins in scoring with 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 24 games.

Looking for More Picks?

You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.

TomBartonSports.com

Latest NHL News

Dean Sports
docsports.com