Sharpen Up: February 11, 2018

Jack Eichel left last night's game in Boston with an injury with 6:52 left in the first period. The Sabres were able to push through and earn two points in his absence, defeating the Bruins 4-2.
Phil Housley did not have an update on Eichel's status after the game. Housley will address the media in the 4 o'clock hour this afternoon so we'll hopefully have more information for you then.
In the meantime, the Sabres have another game to play. They host the Colorado Avalanche tonight at KeyBank Center. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. If you can't make it, we hope you'll join us for the GMC Game Night pregame show starting at 6:30 on MSG.
Stick with us here on Sabres.com and our social media accounts for lineup news and notes throughout the day.
Here's what you need to know.

About last night

Scott Wilson had a good night, picking up a goal and an assist. He joined Dan Dunleavy after the game:

And from the Lexus Postgame Report…
With their leading scorer having gone down with an injury, the Buffalo Sabres could have fallen flat against a talented opponent in the Boston Bruins. Instead, they responded with one of their most complete performances of the season.

Jack Eichel left the game in the first period with an apparent lower-body injury, but a stellar defensive effort - combined with second-period goals from Evander Kane, Scott Wilson and Benoit Pouliot - paved the way for the Sabres to earn a 4-2 victory at TD Garden on Saturday night.

The win was Buffalo's second in a row and fourth straight on the road. Chad Johnson made 25 saves, while Rasmus Ristolainen scored an empty-net goal with 28.2 seconds remaining.
"I thought guys made a terrific effort tonight, one of the best games I've seen us check with sticks and coming back into our zone," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "As a result, we got a lot of chances, a lot of looks, a lot of 2-on-1s and we cashed in on some. I thought everybody stepped their game up when Jack went down."
Eichel leads the Sabres with 53 points this season, 34 of which have come since the beginning of December. He missed the first 21 games of last season with a left high-ankle sprain.

"When you're in-game, sort of everything around you goes away," Johnson said. "It's tough losing Jack, he's our best player and our franchise player. It's tough but we're all professional, we understand the situation. Guys get injured or get hurt so guys have to step up."

The Sabres have had special guests in attendance for each of their last two victories. Their annual "Fathers Trip" began in Buffalo on Thursday, when players had their dads and mentors in attendance for a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders.
The fathers traveled with the team to Boston and were in attendance once again on Saturday.
"It's great that the fathers are on the trip," Housley said. "I hope they can stay with us the rest of the year."

Tonight's matchup

From the Game Notes...
- Tonight's game wraps up Buffalo's 12th of 16 sets of back-to-back games this season, after a 4-2 win last night at Boston. The Sabres are 5-7-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 3-6-2 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo's point breakdown in previous back-to-back sets is: four points (1), three points (0), two points (5), one point (2) and zero points (3).