Eichel did not play Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs because of an illness.
"It takes a few days to get back to where you want to be so I'm happy to be back with the guys," said Eichel, whose overtime goal gave the Sabres a 3-2 win against Carolina on March 12. "It's much better to be in the locker room and going on the ice than to be out of the lineup. I'm just trying to do the right things to prepare for the game."
Eichel, who returns to his role centering Evander Kane and Nicolas Deslauriers, said he thinks the overtime win 10 days ago is a good blueprint for the rematch Tuesday.
"We competed, we got to the net. We didn't give them too much," he said. "I think we played with the puck on our stick a lot. It's what we need to do tonight. I think we can do a better job of getting pucks to the net and bodies to the net."
Carolina coach Bill Peters noted the play of Eichel and fellow rookie Sam Reinhart, suggesting that they already are delivering on their considerable talent.
"[Eichel] has got the ability to leave you. He's deceptively quick and fast," Peters said. "He's got a really elite shot. Reinhart has a real good hockey mind. His hockey sense is off the charts. He's already at 20 [goals] as a rookie. Those guys are two cornerstones they can build around for sure."
The Hurricanes have lost four in a row (0-1-3), but three of the losses were decided in overtime or the shootout.
On Monday, Carolina recalled forward Derek Ryan, who made his NHL debut during a two-game stint in early March.
"The first game you're always nervous and a little jittery," said Ryan, who scored in his first game, a 3-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on March 1. "I just learned that it's still hockey. Yeah, it's faster and it's the best players in the world. But I have to just go out and do the things that got me here.
Here are the projected lineups:
SABRES
Evander Kane - Ryan O'Reilly - Nicolas Deslauriers
Zemgus Girgensons - Jack Eichel - Sam Reinhart
Marcus Foligno - Johan Larsson - Brian Gionta
Cal O'Reilly - David Legwand - Matt Moulson
Josh Gorges - Rasmus Ristolainen
Jake McCabe - Zach Bogosian
Mark Pysyk - Chad Ruhwedel
Chad Johnson
Nathan Lieuwen
Injured: Robin Lehner (ankle), Carlo Colaiacovo (lower body), Jason Kasdorf (groin), Cody Franson (neck), Tyler Ennis (concussion), Cody McCormick (blood clot)
Scratched: None
HURRICANES
Joakim Nordstrom - Jordan Staal - Elias Lindholm
Jeff Skinner - Victor Rask - Phillip Di Giuseppe
Chris Terry - Derek Ryan - Riley Nash
Nathan Gerbe - Jay McClement - Brad Malone
Ron Hainsey - Jaccob Slavin
Noah Hanifin - Brett Pesce
Michal Jordan - Ryan Murphy
Cam Ward
Eddie Lack
Injured: Justin Faulk (knee), James Wisniewski (knee), Andrej Nestrasil (back)
Scratched: None
Status report: Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma said Moulson likely will take some shifts with Kane and Eichel. … Faulk, who has missed 16 of Carolina's past 17 games, is skating with the team in a non-contact jersey.
Who's hot:Foligno has two goals and one assist in the past four games. … Di Giuseppe has three goals in five games. … Skinner has four goals and five assists in the past nine games.
