Need to Know: Bruins at Sabres

BostonBruins.com - The Bruins collected an unlikely victory on Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden, tying the game with 31.5 seconds to go, before winning, 2-1, in a shootout.
Boston (13-10-1) would like to carry over some of that magic into Saturday afternoon's tilt with the Buffalo Sabres (9-9-5). The Bruins won the season's first matchup, 4-0, at TD Garden.
Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Here is what you need to know:

What to Watch For

Boston did pull off an exciting come-from-behind win over Carolina on Thursday. But for much of the first 59½ minutes of the game, they struggled to generate much offensively.
It was a mixed bag for the Bruins, who are hoping to put together a more complete and balanced effort on Saturday against Buffalo.
"We just need a full 60-minute effort," said Tim Schaller. "The first two periods [against Carolina] were sluggish and the lack of battle and all that stuff. If we can get a full 60 minutes, we can beat anybody in this league."
Dominic Moore would like to see the Bruins take the good from that game and build from there.
"Again, we've got to focus on improvement," said Moore. "Take some positives. Obviously getting a late goal like we did shows some character there. We obviously have a lot of things that we want to work on and continue to get better at."
Patrice Bergeron did not practice on Friday, but did make the trip to Buffalo. Bruins coach Claude Julien said the absence was not injury related.

Opposing View

The Sabres have won two straight, over the Senators and Rangers, and have tallied a combined nine goals in those victories. It is probably not a coincidence that the two games were Jack Eichel's first two of the season.
Eichel returned from a high ankle sprain suffered in the preseason to grab a goal and an assist against Ottawa on Tuesday, before potting two more goals in the third period - the tying and winning tallies - in a 4-3 win over the Rangers Thursday night.
The second-year forward out of Chelmsford, Mass., is making his presence felt immediately for a team that ranks last in the league in offense (2.04 goals per game).
"He's got great hockey sense," said Julien. "He sees people around him, he makes the right plays. He's a really strong player, good size, strong on the puck - he's not overly physical or anything like that, but he's a smart all-around player, defensively, offensively.
"I just think his hockey sense is second to none."
- According to the Sabres website, Josh Gorges missed practice on Friday with an injury and could sit out Saturday's game against Boston. Defenseman Brendan Guhle was recalled from Prince George (WHL) on an emergency basis Friday evening. - Robin Lehner (5-7-3, .921 save percentage) will start in goal. - Kyle Okposo, in his first season with the Sabres, is leading the team with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists). - The Sabres rank 10th in the league goals allowed per game (2.48). Buffalo's power play is fourth (23.4%), while the penalty kill is 29th (76.6%).

Wait, There's More

• Forward Anton Blidh was recalled from Providence on Friday and practiced with the Bruins back in Boston. He made the trip to Buffalo and could make his NHL debut on Saturday against the Sabres. "First time I've been called up, so I'm happy," he said. "Just play simple, play my own game, be hard on the puck, and bring some energy."
• Zdeno Chara and Noel Acciari were on the ice for Friday's practice, but did not travel with the team. Julien said Chara is getting closer and "day-to-day is really fitting right now."