The Buffalo Sabres will remain relatively shorthanded in their upcoming contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs. According to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin isn’t expected to rejoin the team in Toronto.
Fairburn also noted that forward Tyson Kozak is sidelined with an upper-body injury sustained during the Sabres’ recent game against the Florida Panthers, and he has already returned to Buffalo. Furthermore, netminder Alex Lyon suffered a setback in his recovery from an upper-body injury and won’t return to the ice for a few more days.
With all due respect to Kozak and Lyon, Dahlin is the most important piece for the Sabres to get back into the lineup. The former first overall pick has registered two goals and four points in six games for Buffalo this season while averaging 23:38 of ice time per game. The Sabres fell to the Montreal Canadiens in overtime last night, their first game with Dahlin leading the charge this season.
Additional injury notes from the Eastern Conference:
The winless Philadelphia Flyers received a positive update on defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen this morning. After missing the last five games with a hand injury, Ristolainen returned to practice this morning (per NBC’s Jordan Hall). Unfortunately, while his return to practice is a step in the right direction, Hall later reported that Ristolainen and fellow defenseman Cameron York (upper-body) won’t be available against the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow.
According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, forward Ridly Greig left the Ottawa Senators’ game last night due to a “strain.” Ottawa has yet to issue a firm update on Greig’s status. Suspended to begin the season, Greig has tallied one assist in five games, averaging 16:33 of ice time per game.