Marchand, Bruins to host the Sabres

Buffalo Sabres (10-25-6, eighth in the East Division) vs. Boston Bruins (21-12-6, fourth in the East Division)

Boston; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Brad Marchand leads Boston into a matchup with Buffalo. He ranks eighth in the NHL with 48 points, scoring 19 goals and totaling 29 assists.

The Bruins are 21-12-6 against East Division opponents. Boston averages 4.2 penalties per game, the most in the league. Marchand leads the team with 18 total penalties.

The Sabres are 10-25-6 against the rest of their division. Buffalo serves 6.1 penalty minutes per game, the least in the NHL. Arttu Ruotsalainen leads the team averaging 1.0.

In their last meeting on March 27, Boston won 3-2. Nick Ritchie recorded a team-high 2 points for the Bruins.

TOP PERFORMERS: Marchand leads the Bruins with 29 assists and has 48 points this season. Craig Smith has nine assists over the last 10 games for Boston.

Sam Reinhart leads the Sabres with 14 goals and has 26 points. Kyle Okposo has one goal and seven assists over the last 10 games for Buffalo.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 5-4-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.8 assists, 4.2 penalties and 9.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game with an .891 save percentage.

Sabres: 4-4-2, averaging 3.1 goals, 4.7 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game with a .912 save percentage.

INJURIES: Bruins: Charlie McAvoy: out (upper body), Matt Grzelcyk: day to day (upper body), Trent Frederic: day to day (illness).

Sabres: Carter Hutton: out (lower body), Jake McCabe: out (knee), Will Borgen: out (forearm), Curtis Lazar: out (lower body), Jack Eichel: out (upper body).

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