BOSTON -- Rich Peverley admitted there was a little bit of adjustment after missing the last two games because of an undisclosed injury.
Keyword: Little.
Peverley, who had practiced but not played in a game since November 5, wasted hardly any time getting back into action on Saturday night during the Bruins' 6-2 win over the Sabres at TD Garden.
He was skating well tonight and he didnt seem like he missed a beat, said coach Claude Julien. He was using his outside speed, carrying it deep into the Buffalo zone, and thats what we needed to do. We needed to get that puck in deep and he was able to do that a lot of times under control. I liked his game. For having missed the last two, I thought he came back real strong.
Peverley scored the Bs first goal, which tied the game at 1-1, less than eight minutes into the second period. In the third period, he assisted on a goal by Chris Kelly.
Not a bad nights work for someone who had been eagerly waiting to get back in action.
You are playing on adrenaline because you want to get back in, he said. You want to use your assets to help the team wherever that may be. I dont like sitting so its great to be able to help the team whatever way I can.
Peverley was mum on the details of what had kept him sidelined -- Theyre just calling it an undisclosed minor injury, he said -- but did note that he felt close to 100 percent following the game. He also said the decision to play was mutual between him and the medical staff.
Another mutual agreement? The excitement shared by both Peverley and his teammates for him to be back on the ice.
He was huge, said Brad Marchand. He had a great goal tonight to get us going and then another great play on Kells goal. For him to come back the way he did and have a big game tonight, it was huge for us. Hes been able to jump in and go up and down the lineup and everywhere he plays, he contributes to the line and really carries his weight. Hes been a great player for us so far and it was huge having him back tonight. It really helped us out.
Echoed Tyler Seguin: He was really good tonight. He stepped in and played a really big part of our win tonight. Obviously his goal and even better his pass, just his all-around complete game tonight. He didnt waste any time getting back in his groove.
While being sidelined for the past two games has given Peverley a chance to watch his team from a different perspective -- I think when we play simple, keep the game simple, things are positive for us and it keeps showing in our game, he assessed -- nothing compares to the vantage point he has on the ice.
You realize that you want to be in there and you want to do what you can, he said. It gives you that much more eagerness to want to get in and play.