Eichel and Buffalo take on Montreal

Montreal Canadiens (22-22-7, sixth in the Atlantic Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (22-21-7, fifth in the Atlantic Division)

Buffalo, New York; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Jack Eichel leads Buffalo into a matchup against Montreal. He currently ranks eighth in the NHL with 63 points, scoring 29 goals and recording 34 assists.

The Sabres are 11-14-4 in Eastern Conference games. Buffalo has scored 29 power-play goals, converting on 19.3% of chances.

The Canadiens are 5-9-2 against Atlantic Division opponents. Montreal has given up 32 power-play goals, killing 78.7% of opponent chances.

In their last meeting on Oct. 9, Buffalo won 5-4. Eichel recorded a team-high 4 points for the Sabres.

TOP PERFORMERS: Eichel leads the Sabres with 29 goals, adding 34 assists and totaling 63 points. Sam Reinhart has totaled six goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Buffalo.

Tomas Tatar leads the Canadiens with 44 points, scoring 17 goals and collecting 27 assists. Ilya Kovalchuk has collected 8 points over the last 10 games for Montreal.

LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 4-5-1, averaging 2.4 goals, 3.8 assists, 3.4 penalties and 8.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .922 save percentage.

Sabres: 5-5-0, averaging three goals, 4.7 assists, 3.5 penalties and 8.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game with a .911 save percentage.

INJURIES: Sabres: Linus Ullmark: day to day (lower-body).

Canadiens: Brendan Gallagher: day to day (concussion).