Spacek, Hecht set to return
The Buffalo Sabres are getting twice as healthy for one of their biggest games of the season.
Defenseman Jaroslav Spacek and left wing Jochen Hecht will be back in the lineup Friday night when the Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens in HSBC Arena. Spacek has missed the past two games with a hip injury. Hecht also sat out the last two after getting dizzy following a hit in Phoenix on Saturday.
Their returns coincide with a chance for the team to get closer to the top of the Eastern Conference. The fourth-place Canadiens have 64 points, while the Sabres are in seventh with 59. The New York Rangers (63 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (61) are between Friday's combatants.
"They're right in front of us. It's so close," Hecht said today. "Playing somebody who's right in front of us is a big four-point game."
Maxim Afinogenov, who's been out since Jan. 6 with a groin injury, skated on his own before the 25-minute practice. He hadn't been on the ice for about 10 days. There is no timetable for his return.
---John Vogl
