Two Injured Sabres Could Return for Thursday’s Home Opener

The Buffalo Sabres returned to practice in Buffalo on Tuesday without forwards JJ Peterka, Zach Benson, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel due to injury. Top prospect Jiri Kulich, who was not sent down and remains with the club, was at practice. No longer practicing with the Sabres were Lukas Rousek and Kale Clague, who were sent down to Rochester, and goalie James Reimer, who was claimed on waivers by the Anaheim Ducks.

The absences were very apparent, as the line rushes saw Peyton Krebs skate on the top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch as a placeholder. Defenseman Jacob Bryson also took line rushes with Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn on the fourth line.

Here’s how the Sabres lined up:

Forwards

Peyton Krebs – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Jiri Kulich – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenway

Jacob Bryson – Sam Lafferty – Beck Malenstyn

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power – Bowen Byram

Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton

Goalies

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Devon Levi

Peterka, Benson Injury Updates

There’s good news on the injury front, a JJ Peterka skated before practice on Tuesday. Seeing how he reacts to the skate is the next step in the top forward returning to the lineup, so his recovery from the concussion suffered in Saturday’s game seems day-to-day.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said he also believes Zach Benson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Benson fought through the injury in the first game of the season in Prague before ultimately having to sit out game two.

The return of one or both of Peterka and Benson would be big for the Sabres, as they then could slide Krebs off of the top line and place him in Bryson’s spot next to Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn.

Based on the discussion and the fact that he skated, Peterka seems closer to returning than Benson at this point.

Aube-Kubel Injury is Longer-Term

Forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel left game one with a lower-body injury and was also forced to miss game two. He was placed on injured reserve by the team, which opened up the room to keep Kulich on the NHL roster.

Ruff first described the Aube-Kubel injury as “week-to-week”. He then went into more detail, designating a three-to-six-week timeframe for recovery.

The Sabres newcomer was a big part of a fun, energetic fourth line for the Sabres heading into the season. It’s a big loss in the short term, as the Buffalo forward group is already thin.

Powerplay Struggles

The Sabres dedicated a lot of time to the powerplay at practice today. First, they focused on zone entries and setting up the powerplay in the offensive zone, which didn’t go so well.