Sabres’ Eichel returns to practice for first time in a month

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Buffalo Sabres leading scorer Jack Eichel isn’t sure when he’ll be cleared to play after returning to practice for the first time since spraining his right ankle a month ago.

Eichel says he’d like to start playing as soon as possible. But he adds it’s premature to pick a specific game. He says the timetable will depend on his conditioning level and how his ankle responds to the lengthy on-ice session Tuesday. Eichel has been skating on his own for the past 10 days.