Jack Eichel will not play vs. Sabres on Saturday night
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A familiar face will not be in the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights when they face the Sabres on Saturday night in Buffalo.
Forward Jack Eichel, who spent six seasons in Buffalo before getting traded to Vegas in 2020, will miss Saturday's game as he continues to work his way back from a lower-body injury. Eichel has not played since Jan. 11.
The lack of Eichel for the Golden Knights should help the Sabres, who are very much on the outside of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but have won four of their last five games. Not to mention, the last time Eichel played in Buffalo in 2022, he tallied a hat trick in a 7-4 Vegas win.
The Sabres (28-28-4) defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, while the Golden Knights (33-20-7) are coming off a 5-4 loss to the Bruins as they battle for playoff seeding in the Western Conference.
The teams play Saturday for the second time this season. The Sabres won the last meeting 5-2.
LAST 10 GAMES
Sabres: 6-4-0, averaging 2.6 goals, 3.9 assists, 3.4 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 4-5-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.9 assists, 1.9 penalties and 3.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
INJURIES
Sabres: Mattias Samuelsson: out for season (upper body), Victor Olofsson: day to day (illness), Jack Quinn: out (lower body), Erik Johnson: day to day (illness).
Golden Knights: Jack Eichel: out (lower-body), Mark Stone: out (upper body), Pavel Dorofeyev: out (upper body), William Carrier: out (upper body), Brett Howden: out (upper-body).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.