OTTAWA -- Jack Eichels painful scream was so loud, it could be heard throughout the rink.It occurred during the Buffalo Sabres final practice of the preseason, on Oct. 12, when he suffered a high ankle sprain. The injury forced the 20-year-old forward to miss the first 21 games of the season. Without him, the Sabres wobbled out of the gates at 7-9-5, dead last in the Atlantic.Eichels return Tuesday night helped the Sabres to a 5-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. He scored a goal and added an assist and finished the game with five shots and a plus-1 in 17:08 of ice time.It was anxious getting out there before the game because I havent played in a while, the 2015 No. 2 draft pick said.It was a solid first step for Eichel and the Sabres. He was rusty, but thats understandable given the injury. He worked hard to get back and wanted to have an immediate impact -- which he did -- but his full recovery will be a slow process.Positionally, he was sound. He didnt have his normal explosive first stride, at least on every shift, but that will return in time. His biggest impact came on special teams -- both of his points came on the power play within the first 10 minutes of the game -- which the Sabres have missed most.He adds a big dimension to our team, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma?said. Theres speed and, right from the beginning on the power play, theres a different level of execution, a different level of speed.Theres a trickledown effect and a better balanced lineup when Eichel is healthy and productive. Offseason transactions by Sabres GM Tim Murray -- signing right winger Kyle Okposo, for instance -- were intentionally made to complement Eichel and the rest of the young talent on the team, so when he went down, it was a difficult way to begin the season.After Tuesdays game, Eichel admitted he hit a wall in the second period but was able to settle down again in the third. He said the ankle felt good, but he expects to feel discomfort in the morning and in the foreseeable future.A high ankle sprain is one of the worst injuries for a hockey player. A broken bone would be better in some ways, rather than dealing with the sprain because of the location of the injury. The natural skating motion is not conducive for these types of injuries to heal properly. When a player uses his inside edge to dig in, hes putting direct pressure on that injured ligament. The mechanics of skating put repeated stress on the ligament. Plus, unlike a knee injury, a player cant put a brace on an ankle to prevent the stress that comes with skating.One longtime NHL trainer said ligaments often take eight to 12 weeks to fully heal.During 2009-10, then-Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic dealt with a high ankle sprain the entire season and was limited to 50 games. He had pain and weakness pushing off the entire season and was never right until he had time to rest and rehab during the offseason.Even though Eichel is coming back, its going to take him many months to get back to the player he was before the injury, said the trainer.If this injury had occurred during the postseason, Eichel could have had a cortisone shot as a short-term fix, but since it happened before the season, the team thought it best to rehab with strength training. Eichel has been able to maintain his fitness during this process, but it will take time to get his powerful stride back to 100 percent.Its possible he will retweak it again, the trainer said. He could set himself back, maybe not to Square 1, but you definitely set yourself back again. You see a lot of players with these injuries come back after six or seven weeks, maybe a little too early, tweak it again and be out for another month. They limp through the season. Eichel will likely limp through the rest of the season with this.Its common for a forward to return from this type of injury sooner than a defenseman or goalie would. For goalies its especially worse, given the constant up-and-down motions of the position, particularly the butterfly. Case in point: Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop suffered a high ankle sprain during the Eastern Conference finals last spring. At the time he said he thought he had broken his leg because the pain was so severe.Eichel will have to deal with this for the remainder of the season.Its something you kind of have to get used to, Eichel said. Talking with guys that have had it before and went through it, its not going to be 100 percent where you can completely forget about it.Its a matter of maintaining it and preparing properly in order to be effective. Theres a bigger picture here, more than just one game. Were talking about the development of a franchise player.In the Golden Age of young talent in the NHL, Eichel is in the class of future elite players, joining the likes of the?Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid, Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau, Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele, New York Rangers Jimmy Vesey and Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews. Eichels return is timely for a number of reasons.The Sabres need him. The NHL needs him.It was almost impossible to hear his jubilation after his first goal of the season Tuesday night, but you can bet it was just as loud as his painful scream seven weeks ago. Virgil van Dijk Liverpool Jersey . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. 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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. --?New York Jets receiver?Brandon Marshall returned to practice Friday on a limited basis, and his availability for Sundays game in Kansas City will be a game-time decision, head coach Todd Bowles said.Marshall sat out the entire week before Friday because of injuries to his left knee and foot. He said the final decision on whether he plays would be made by Bowles, because if its up to me, Ill be out there at 40, 50 percent.Marshall, the Jets No. 1 receiver, was injured in the teams 37-31 victory over Buffalo on Sept. 15. His knee twisted awkwardly as he was brought to the ground by his facemask by Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore after a second-quarter reception.Marshall said he injured the foot on the same play. He left the game briefly but was able to return and finished with six catches for 101 yards. He said he was able to get through the game because of adrenaline as well as the painkiller Toradol, which he had taken before the game to deal with other ailments.The problem with injuries is, after a few hours, in the next day or two, theres a lot of blood flow to that area, so swelling increases, he said. Usually what youre fighting is getting the inflammatiion out, get the swelling out, and getting the flexibility back.dddddddddddd So thats the deal. Its swelling and flexibility in trying to get back to close to 100 percent.You just gotta be smart. You gotta think about, you know, this is Week 3. Although every games important, and we approach them that way, you never want to hurt the team or hurt yourself worse.Nevertheless, Marshall pointed to his track record of having missed just five games over the past seven seasons because of injuries. So I always try to get out there, he said.Marshall, who has nine catches for 133 yards on the season, expressed confidence in the Jets receiving corps if he doesnt play. He cited the fine start by Quincy Enunwa, who has a team-high 13 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown, along with the presence of Eric Decker, who has eight catches for a team-high 163 yards and 2 TDs. Marshall also mentioned undrafted rookie Jalin Marshall, who has three catches for 45 yards.If he does play, Marshall said, he wont need to wear a brace but will have his knee and foot heavily taped. ' ' '