Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel will play his first game of the season after sustaining a high ankle sprain in practice Oct. 12. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Eichel said. "I've been waiting for a while so it will be nice to play a game." The No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Eichel, 20, will skate on a line with Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart. After leading the Sabres with 24 goals last season, Eichel returns with Buffalo last in the NHL with 1.81 goals per game. Coach Dan Bylsma said Eichel's return will allow other players to assume roles more suited to their talents. "We've had the feeling the last two days in practice that you feel a lot better about where you're slotted, where you're playing and it's had an effect on our team," Bylsma said. "It's got to show up in the game, but it's had an effect on our team from an offensive standpoint." The Sabres have lost back-to-back games and are 2-5-3 in their past 10 games. Goaltender Robin Lehner is 2-0-2 with a .956 save percentage and a 1.30 goals-against average against the Ottawa Senators. The Sabres are 3-0-2 in their past five games against Ottawa.
