Buffalo Sabres (10-14-2, seventh in the Atlantic Division) vs. Boston Bruins (17-4-3, first in the Atlantic Division)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins host the Buffalo Sabres after Brad Marchand's hat trick against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Bruins' 3-1 win.
Boston has a 17-4-3 record overall and a 7-2-2 record in Atlantic Division play. The Bruins have conceded 59 goals while scoring 80 for a +21 scoring differential.
Buffalo is 3-3-0 against the Atlantic Division and 10-14-2 overall. The Sabres are 10-4-1 in games they score at least three goals.
Thursday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Bruins won 5-2 in the previous meeting. Marchand led the Bruins with three goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Marchand has 11 goals and 12 assists for the Bruins. Charlie Coyle has four goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
Casey Mittelstadt has six goals and 16 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has four goals and three assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 6-3-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.3 assists, 4.5 penalties and 9.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
Sabres: 3-6-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.6 assists, 3.2 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 3.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Bruins: Milan Lucic: out (personal).
Sabres: Zemgus Girgensons: out (lower body), Jack Quinn: out (achilles), Alex Tuch: out (lower body), Jordan Greenway: out (upper-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
