Buffalo @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 26, 2019 ) Buffalo 2, Philadelphia 5

Captain Jack Eichel bids to match a franchise-record 18-game point streak on Thursday when the Buffalo Sabres visit the Philadelphia Flyers. Eichel has recorded 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) during his impressive 17-game run, which resides one shy of Gilbert Perreault's point streak set from Oct. 24-Dec. 4, 1971.

While Eichel extended his point streak, Buffalo saw its five-point run (3-0-2) come to a halt in a 5-3 setback against Toronto on Tuesday. "It's excellent that Jack does that. He is playing at the top of his game, and it's a pleasure to stand behind him every night here and see how much heart and soul he's got, but in a game like this, we need more depth," Buffalo coach Ralph Krueger said. "We need the whole lineup to come through to be able to get points at the end." Philadelphia recorded points after a three-game absence with a 4-1 victory over Anaheim on Tuesday, with the result serving as a welcome one after a trying sequence of events for the injury-riddled club. "It was a bad week – physically, mentally," captain Claude Giroux said. "Anything that could have gone wrong went wrong. We're not happy with the way we've been playing, but you know what, with the position we're in right now, we're still in a position to succeed."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-B (Buffalo), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE SABRES (16-12-7): Eichel has recorded four multi-point performances in a row to become the first Buffalo player to accomplish the feat since defenseman Andrej Sekera had a five-game run in 2011. "He's obviously doing pretty amazing things right now," fellow forward Kyle Okposo said of the 23-year-old Eichel. "He's really come into his own and becoming a superstar. He's done some special things." Okposo has fared well in his own right, collecting three goals in six games since returning from a concussion on Dec. 7.

ABOUT THE FLYERS (18-11-5): Carter Hart has been confirmed to start Thursday's contest, and that should be music to the ears of the Philadelphia faithful. The 21-year-old made a season-high 40 saves against the Ducks to improve to 9-1-2 at home in 2019-20, including a 5-0-0 record with a 1.41 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in his last five games at Wells Fargo Center. Travis Konecny, who set up Giroux's tally in his return from a three-game absence due to a concussion, collected a goal and two assists versus Buffalo last season.

OVERTIME

1. Philadelphia F Tyler Pitlick is expected to return to the lineup after being sidelined with a head injury.

2. Buffalo D Rasmus Dahlin has collected four points (one goal, three assists) in three contests since his return from a concussion.

3. The Flyers have converted just one of their last 18 power-play opportunities over the last eight games.

PREDICTION: Sabres 3, Flyers 2