BUFFALO, N.Y. -- After three years in the NHLs basement, the Buffalo Sabres planned on turning the corner this season. That plan got a whole lot tougher one day before Buffalos season opener when budding superstar Jack Eichel suffered a severe ankle injury.The injury occurred at Buffalos final practice before its opener against the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m., Thursday). Late in the practice session, Eichel awkwardly fell to the ice after tangling with teammate Zemgus Girgensons. He screamed in pain and was helped off the ice by his teammates.The Sabres announced that Eichel suffered a high ankle sprain -- which means he could miss 1-2 months.He has an ankle injury and at this point not a lot to tell after that, Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma said, according to NHL.com. Hes going to get evaluated this afternoon. Initially he goes down in a lot of pain obviously and I think the initial shock of it is you see that, but were going to let it calm down here and get evaluated and see the extent of him turning his ankle there.The second overall pick in the 2015 draft, Eichel became an instant sensation in Buffalo and led the Sabres in goals as a rookie with 24.Eichel isnt the only key member of the Sabres to begin the year on the infirmary list. Free-agent addition Kyle Okposo will miss the opener with a knee injury, and center Ryan OReillys status is up in the air due to a back injury.One positive for the Sabres is the return of defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Ristolainen returned after signing a six-year deal with the Sabres on Thursday. Goalie Robin Lehner is also in much better shape after a promising but injury-plagued season one year ago; Lehner lost more than 20 pounds in preparation for the upcoming season.The Canadiens, meanwhile, will be without their star goaltender for the season opener. Carey Price will not make the trip to Buffalo due to an illness. The Canadiens are counting on Price to return as the backbone of their team; Montreals season fell apart last year after Price was lost for the season due to a knee injury.Unfortunately, he caught the flu and everyone reacts differently to medicine, Ottawa head coach Michel Therrien said, according to NHL.com He caught a nasty bug, as were seeing now. Hes day-to-day. Theres a chance hell join the team in Ottawa on Friday, but hell have to be healthy. Its too bad, but theres nothing we can do about it.Thats hockey. There will be setbacks. We all would have liked for Carey to be between the pipes for the first game. Not only us, but our fans too. Its just going to be a matter of time now.Al Montoya is expected to start between the pipes for Montreal in his first game for the Canadiens. Hell be backed up by Charlie Lindgren.It will be the Montreal debut for defenseman Shea Weber, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade for P.K. Subban this offseason. Weber, 31, spent his first 10 seasons with the Nashville Predators. Gritty forward Andrew Shaw will also make his Montreal debut after spending his entire career with the Chicago Blackhawks.The Canadiens also added Russian forward Alexander Radulov, who has spent most of his career in the KHL after brief spells with the Nashville Predators. Thibaut Courtois Belgium Jersey . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Adnan Januzaj Belgium Jersey . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. http://www.soccerbelgiumteamonline.com/Customized/ . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. Axel Witsel Jersey . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Marouane Fellaini Belgium Jersey .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. India opener Shikhar Dhawan had gone eight Test innings without a 50-plus score, before his 84 in the first innings of the Antigua Test. He had been susceptible in the channel outside off, often reaching for the ball with his hands, on earlier tours to England and Australia. At the training camp in Bangalore, ahead of the departure to the Caribbean, Dhawan had focused on his feet movement and judgement against away-going deliveries outside off, with batting coach Sanjay Bangar placing a fourth stump just outside off.The workout seemed to have reaped immediate reward, with Dhawan showing restraint outside off and laying the platform for Indias 302 for 4 on the first day. He was tested by fast bowler Shannon Gabriel - who had M Vijay nicking behind with a prancing delivery - in a fiery first spell, but Dhawan survived by adhering to attrition over attack.I think opening is the toughest work and you need a big heart for it, Dhawan said. New wicket, new ball and they bowl with full energy and as an opener your technique should also be good because you have to leave a lot of balls and you need patience as well. Middle order needs it [patience] too but new ball has its own challenge. Vijay got a good ball, it was a very quick ball. I was luckier in that sense so Gabriel was bowling really well and with time you get that experience.Now I know better from the past about which balls to leave and that is from experience and it helps improve the game and my shot selection and it showed in the partnership with Pujara and Kohli.Dhawan felt India were in a good position, especially after sacrificiing a batsman or an allrounder to beef up their bowling, and hinted at the teams strategy of batting only once of a slowing surface.ddddddddddddWe are in a good position especially because we are playing with only five batsmen, Dhawan said. So we are in a good position and we will want to bat as long as possible tomorrow, that will also tire them out. Good thing is we have Virat set and batting.Dhawan lauded Virat Kohli, who scored his 12th Test century, with whom he shaped Indias progress with a third-wicket partnership of 105 in 27.1 overs.He has played a tremendous knock and scored a hundred and continued scoring, Dhawan said. Hopefully he scores big runs and gets a double-hundred after 150. It feels good to bat with him and we were rotating strike and scoring runs at a good pace. I feel that made a difference because we made the partnership in 120 balls or something. That is a good thing and it is always a pleasure to watch Virat, the way he times the ball.Dhawan also identified the importance of Cheteshwar Pujaras contribution in blunting a disciplined West Indies attack, although Pujara only contributed 16 off 67 balls, before lobbing a leading edge to point off legspinner Devendra Bishoo.My partnership with Pujara was also important because the ball was new at that time and it was important to leave the ball at that time, Dhawan said. The middle order got benefit of that because the ball was older and my partnership with Virat benefitted from that. ' ' '