Jack Eichel had himself a night.

In the Sabres' 7-4 stomping of the NHL-leading Nashville Predators on Saturday, Eichel picked up five assists, tying Buffalo's single-game franchise record in the process.

It was also the Sabres' first five-point performance since Thomas Vanek did so in 2013.

He's missed 15 games this season due to injury and the team has struggled, but Eichel has still had himself quite the campaign. In 63 games, he has 25 goals and 62 points.

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Minnesota Wild cornerstone defenseman Ryan Suter was injured during Saturday's contest versus the Dallas Stars, subsequently leaving the game with an apparent foot issue.

The Wild later announced he would not return.

"I got no update. I guess we’ll know Monday," head coach Bruce Boudreau said postgame. "Suter doesn’t get hurt often so when he goes off like that you worry."

Suter went into the end-boards awkwardly after taking a hit from Stars forward Remi Elie, seemingly twisting his ankle in the process. He was helped off the ice and did not return.

The 33-year-old veteran is a crucial piece to Minny's blue line, registering six goals, 45 assists, and an irreplaceable 26:54 minutes a night heading into Saturday. And with fellow top-four defenseman Jared Spurgeon also dealing with an injury, Suter's potential loss could be crippling for a Wild club destined for the postseason.

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Victor Antipin was stretchered off the ice Saturday against the Nashville Predators after being hit from behind into the boards by Scott Hartnell, who received a game misconduct on the play.

Antipin was face down and motionless for several minutes before they brought out the stretcher.

Here's a look at incident:

There's a strong chance Hartnell will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for his action.

Entering Saturday, Antipin had 10 points in 46 games during his rookie season. The 25-year-old signed with the Sabres this past offseason after spending his last five full seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL.

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The Penguins are going back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as Pittsburgh's win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday punched its postseason ticket for a 12th straight season.

A season filled with ups and downs for the Penguins is coming together at just the right time, as Pittsburgh has points in 11 of 14 games down the stretch.

The Penguins are the second Metropolitan Division squad to clinch a playoff spot this week, as the Washington Capitals did so with their victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh's streak of 12 straight seasons with a playoff berth is the longest active run in the NHL.

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott will not return Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets, leaving the game in the first period with an apparent foot injury after blocking a shot, the team announced.

Dermott had to be helped to the dressing room, failing to put any pressure on his foot.

Any prolonged absence would be detrimental to the Leafs' Stanley Cup aspirations. The 21-year-old has been a revelation on the club's blue line, displaying excellent puck-moving ability. Entering Saturday's game, Dermott led all Leafs defenseman with a plus-17 rating despite spending the first half of his season with the AHL's Toronto Marlies.

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Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will reportedly play for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship, according to Oilers radio analyst Bob Stauffer.

Despite his team's struggles, Nugent-Hopkins has had a stellar offensive season, recording 22 goals and 45 points in 60 games thus far.

Unsurprisingly, he has found further success playing on Connor McDavid's left wing lately, picking up 15 points in his last 16 contests. The two could continue to develop their chemistry if McDavid were to accept an invite as well.

The 24-year-old is no stranger to success on the international stage:

The tournament begins May 4 in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov will play Saturday night against the Winnipeg Jets after missing the last seven games due to a lower-body injury.

Komarov scored 14 and 19 goals, respectively, in the last two seasons, but he's been relied upon less for his offense and more for his checking and penalty-killing abilities this year. In 71 games, he has seven goals and 19 points while averaging a shade under 16 minutes per night.

The Finnish super pest is expected to skate alongside Tomas Plekanec and Kasperi Kapanen on the Leafs' fourth line, with rookie Andreas Johnsson coming out in his place.

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Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo left Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers after losing his balance and falling awkwardly in the corner late in the third period.

Carlo appeared to catch an edge while fighting for the puck with Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov.

Carlo didn't need to be stabilized but did leave on a stretcher, perhaps because he was hurt near the Zamboni doors that lead to the tunnel of the arena.

Nevertheless, a significant injury to the young rearguard would be difficult for the Bruins to swallow.

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The Colorado Avalanche's playoff hopes just took a pair of major blows.

Goaltender Semyon Varlamov is done for the season with an injury the club would only classify as a lower-body ailment, while defenseman Erik Johnson will miss six weeks with a broken kneecap, the club revealed Saturday.

Colorado's No. 1 netminder, left Friday's win over the Chicago Blackhawks late in the third period after Tomas Jurco crashed into him.

Johnson didn't play Friday, and like Varlamov, this won't be his first extended injury absence of the campaign.

Varlamov missed about a month of action between early January and early February, and Johnson also missed a full month between mid-February and mid-March.

The veteran blue-liner leads Colorado in average ice time in 2017-18, having logged more than 25 minutes per night in 62 contests.

Entering Saturday's games, the Avalanche held the same amount of points (92) and regulation-or-overtime wins (40) as the St. Louis Blues, who occupied the second Western Conference wild-card spot.

However, the Blues held a game in hand, so the Avalanche found themselves outside the playoff picture, and it's going to be even more difficult to qualify for the postseason without Varlamov and Johnson down the stretch.

Compounding matters is that Colorado has only four games left in the regular season, and they won't be easy - a road back-to-back against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings on Sunday and Monday, another away affair against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, and then a meeting with the Blues at home to close out the schedule next Saturday.

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Saturday is a big day for the Vancouver Canucks and Thatcher Demko.

The goaltending prospect is starting against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday afternoon, appearing in an NHL game for the first time in his career.

The 22-year-old netminder was recalled under emergency conditions Friday because Anders Nilsson was ill.

Demko has a .921 save percentage in 42 games for the AHL's Utica Comets this season after struggling in his first go-around with the Canucks affiliate in 2016-17.

Vancouver drafted him 36th overall in 2014.

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