Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Bruins

Slowly but surely, the Buffalo Sabres are inching toward icing the lineup we saw on opening night. The presence of Casey Mittelstadt at their morning skate signaled another step in that direction.
Mittelstadt, who wore a yellow non-contact sweater during the skate, will not play tonight against the Boston Bruins. Sabres coach Don Granato said the forward will likely need multiple full-contact practices before he returns to the lineup.
"We're gonna read it day by day to see how he feels but he does need to go through at least a couple practices, I would say, with some good contact before we feel comfortable even assessing where he's at," Granato said. "But certainly, a positive sign that he's on the ice with us."

In the meantime, the Sabres - who saw Victor Olofsson and Henri Jokiharju return from injuries over the past three days - continue the busiest week of their season tonight at KeyBank Center. The meeting with the Bruins is the third in a stretch of five games in seven days.
Tickets are available here. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop set for 7.
Here are five things to know.

1. A step for Mittelstadt

Mittelstadt was poised to take on the role of top-line center to begin the season. He was Buffalo's most consistent producer down the stretch to end last season and parlayed that confidence into an impressive training camp.
That progress was interrupted just nine minutes into the opener, when he sustained an upper-body injury against Montreal.
"He was one of those guys who didn't want to leave here at the end of last year and trained extremely hard," Granato said. "He gets hurt eight minutes into Game 1. So, very excited to have him back. I think everybody collectively in that locker room when I mentioned he was going to join us in practice today, guys were energized, and I know he is."
Mittelstadt admitted it has been difficult watching from a distance as the Sabres experienced the ups and downs of their young season, from a 5-1-1 start to recent adversity.
"I want to go out and I want to help the team," he said. "So, that part's been pretty tough. Today was a huge step in the right direction both physically and mentally, being out there with the guys and getting to laugh and have fun in practice and not skating alone."

2. The lineup

Granato announced Arttu Ruotsalainen will return to the lineup after sitting the past two games as a healthy scratch. Ruotsalainen will move to the wing, where he scored five goals in 17 games as a rookie last season. He has spent most of this season at center due in part to Mittelstadt's absence.
Granato did not reveal who will come out of the lineup to make room for Ruotsalainen.

3. The goaltenders

The Sabres will start Aaron Dell, who entered in relief of Dustin Tokarski during the second period against Columbus on Monday and stopped 14 of 15 shots.
Granato detailed the decision as both a reward for Dell's last outing and as a breather for Tokarski, who has been pulled in two straight starts.
"He didn't look like himself the other night," Granato said of Tokarski. "We obviously want him to be himself. We want him to be fearless, as we've said. And Dell has been in a bit of a groove. He started a week and a half ago or whatever it was, and he's progressed, he's been better."

Boston's goaltending situation is up in the air after Linus Ullmark sustained an injury during the morning skate. The former Sabres netminder was previously slated to start but is now questionable.

4. Offense heating up

The Sabres have scored four goals in each of their last two games, a last-second loss at Madison Square Garden on Sunday and a comeback that fell short against Columbus on Monday.
Tage Thompson scored three goals in those games, giving him a team-high eight this season. Olofsson had assists in both losses - his first two games since returning from injury - while Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and three assists.
"We have been aggressive once we enter a zone and mostly when we put pucks where we can pursue them," Granato said. "… It's an area that our guys identified with recently and gained a lot of confidence, even going to the net feeling that they can score any moment during a play."

5. The season series

The Sabres and Bruins previously met in Buffalo on Oct. 22. Boston won that game, 4-1, despite the Sabres generating a 36-26 shot advantage. Brad Marchand, who leads the Bruins with 20 points, tallied two assists.
The two teams meet next in Boston on Jan. 1.