Buffalo Sabres (31-23-4, fourth in the Atlantic Division) vs. Boston Bruins (46-8-5, first in the Atlantic Division)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins come into a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres as winners of eight straight games.
Boston has a 46-8-5 record overall and a 10-4-3 record in Atlantic Division games. The Bruins are 14-3-4 in games they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponents.
Buffalo is 31-23-4 overall and 8-9-1 against the Atlantic Division. The Sabres have a +17 scoring differential, with 219 total goals scored and 202 given up.
The matchup Thursday is the third meeting between these teams this season. The Bruins won 3-1 in the previous meeting. Dmitry Orlov led the Bruins with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Pastrnak has 42 goals and 37 assists for the Bruins. Pavel Zacha has six goals and two assists over the last 10 games.
Tage Thompson has 40 goals and 39 assists for the Sabres. Dylan Cozens has scored six goals with three assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 9-1-0, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.7 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.4 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.
Sabres: 5-5-0, averaging 3.8 goals, six assists, 3.5 penalties and 8.1 penalty minutes while giving up four goals per game.
INJURIES: Bruins: Vinni Lettieri: out (lower body), Taylor Hall: out (lower body).
Sabres: Alex Tuch: out (undisclosed), Rasmus Dahlin: day to day (undisclosed).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
