Preview: Bruins look to keep the good times rolling against Buffalo

Just the facts

When: 7 PM

Where: TD Garden - Boston, MA

How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SBN site: Die by the Blade

Know your enemy

• 22-13-6, 50PTS, T-3rd in the Atlantic Division
• Jack Eichel: 15G-34A-49PTS; Jeff Skinner: 28G-13A-41PTS; Sam Reinhart: 9G-31A-40PTS
• Carter Hutton: 13-12-3, 2.63 GAA, .917 save percentage

Game notes

• Another game against Buffalo?!?! If you feel like you just saw these guys, you did: the Bruins beat Buffalo in overtime last Saturday.
• This is another pretty important game, or at least as important as a January game can be. The Bruins and Sabres have each played 41 games, and each team has recorded 50 points in the standings. The Bruins have one more win, giving them a slight edge in the Atlantic. The battle for that 3rd spot behind Tampa Bay and Toronto should be a good one going forward.
• The Sabres last played on Thursday night, when they beat the Florida Panthers by a score of 4-3. Jeff Skinner continued his torrid play last night, recording 2 goals.
• Speaking of Skinner, he may end up being the acquisition of the offseason. The Sabres got Skinner in exchange for three draft picks and Cliff Pu, a Buffalo prospect. What has he done in Buffalo? Only score 28 goals in 41 games. Yeah, not terrible. Skinner has played Buffalo into a bit of trouble, however: he’s due for a new contract after this season, and has certainly earned the right to cash in. Can Buffalo afford to keep him? It’d be hard to let him walk at this point.
• The more anticipated first-year Sabre going into the season was Rasmus Dahlin, the first-overall pick in last year’s draft. How has he been? Barry Trotz sees Nick Lidstrom. Oh...that’s not bad.
• The Bruins will get David Backes back from suspension today, and I expect he’ll slot back into the lineup. The most likely scratch would be Colby Cave. Backes could end up on the third line, or the fourth, or the second, or the 9th Floor...IT’S A MYSTERY, FOLKS.
• Given that Jaroslav Halak wasn’t exactly lights out on Thursday night, I’d expect to see Tuukka Rask in net tonight.

See ya tonight!