Buffalo Sabres News

Alex Tuch (upper body) is expected to return to the Sabres' lineup Friday vs. Winnipeg.

Tuch has not played the last two games for the Sabres but will be available to return to the lineup on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets. Before his injury, Tuch had been producing at an impressive rate, recording nine points (4G / 5A) in his last seven games.

Alex Tuch
James Reimer will start Thursday in Sweden vs. Ottawa.

With Ville Husso (personal) not travelling with the Red Wings to their Global Series event, James Reimer will take the crease Thursday as Detroit takes on Ottawa. The 35-year-old veteran netminder will be leaned on heavily by the Red Wings if Husso is out for long, and has a 2-2-1 record, .933 SV%, 1.80 GAA and 1 shutout this season. He takes on the Ottawa Senators, who have won two of their last three games and are third in the NHL in goals per game (3.85) and seventh in shots per game (33.0).

James Reimer
Thompson is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

Sabres head coach Don Granato said after Tuesday's game against the Bruins that Thompson would likely miss "significant time" due to the upper-body injury. Thompson originally left the game in the first period due to a lower-body injury before returning. He then exited the game again shortly thereafter when a Charlie McAvoy shot struck him in the left wrist. Thompson's absence will leave a major void in the Sabres' attack, even despite his relatively slow start. Thompson has six goals and six assists in 15 games on the season. We should expect to receive a more definitive timeline on his recovery in the coming days.

Tage Thompson
Johnson is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Bruins.

With Henri Jokiharju (illness) unavailable to play, Johnson will draw back into the Sabres' lineup on Tuesday. The 22-year-old rookie has registered no goals and one assist across his first four games. He is expected to play alongside Erik Johnson on Buffalo's third pair.

Ryan Johnson
Devon Levi will start Tuesday vs. Boston.

Since Levi returned earlier this month from an injury, the Sabres have opted to rotate starts between him and Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen and will likely continue this trend with Levi taking the crease on Tuesday. Levi is sporting a very pedestrian 3.17 GAA and .896 SV% through six games (3-3-0) but has won both starts since returning to the lineup, saving 57 of 63 shots (.905 SV%). The Bruins lead the Eastern Conference with an 11-1-2 record but rank in the bottom half of the league offensively, averaging 3.21 goals per game.

Devon Levi
Devon Levi is expected to start Tuesday vs. Boston.

Since Levi returned earlier this month from an injury, the Sabres have opted to rotate starts between him and Ukko Pekka-Luukkonen and will likely continue this trend with Levi taking the crease on Tuesday. Levi is sporting a very pedestrian 3.17 GAA and .896 SV% through six games (3-3-0) but has won both starts since returning to the lineup, saving 57 of 63 shots (.905 SV%). The Bruins lead the Eastern Conference with an 11-1-2 record but rank in the bottom half of the league offensively, averaging 3.21 goals per game.

Devon Levi
Tuch (soreness) is not on the ice for warmups and is not expected to play in Friday's game against the Wild.

Tuch has managed soreness and an undisclosed injury for the last few weeks but has not missed any game action. Tuch, who was a game-time decision on Friday, hadn't been affected by his injury, resisting nine points (4G / 5A) in his last seven games.

Alex Tuch
Levi will start against the Wild on Friday.

Levi is the starter for the Sabres on Friday after serving as the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the team's 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Levi last played on November 4th, saving 25 of 29 shots in a 6-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. His rookie season has not gone as smoothly as anticipated, posting a .341 GAA and .885 SV% through five games (2-3-0). The Sabres are -118 home favourites against a Minnesota Wild team coming off a 4-1 loss last night at the hands of the New York Rangers.

Devon Levi
Devon Levi is in the starter's net at Friday's morning skate.

Levi is the likely starter for the Sabres on Friday after serving as the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the team's 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Levi last played on November 4th, saving 25 of 29 shots in a 6-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. His rookie season has not gone as smoothly as anticipated, posting a .341 GAA and .885 SV% through five games (2-3-0). The Sabres are -118 home favourites against a Minnesota Wild team coming off a 4-1 loss last night at the hands of the New York Rangers.

Devon Levi
Alex Tuch (soreness) is questionable to play Friday vs. Minnesota.

Tuch has managed soreness and an undisclosed injury for the last few weeks but has not missed any game action. Tuch, whose status is uncertain for Friday, hasn't been affected by his injury, resisting nine points (4G / 5A) in his last seven games.

Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker (lower body) is expected to return to the Coyotes' lineup Thursday vs. St. Louis.

Zucker was signed to a one-year, $5,300,000 million contract in the offseason but missed the last seven games due to a lower-body injury but is expected to make his Coyotes' debut Thursday vs. St. Louis. The 31-year-old left-winger has two goals, 14 SOG, six PIMs and a +1 plus/minus in five games so far prior to his injury.

Jason Zucker
Alex Tuch (upper body) missed practice Thursday and is questionable for Friday vs. Minnesota.

Tuch has been nursing an injury for the last couple of weeks but taking advantage of maintenance days has prevented him from missing any game action, yet he is still considered day-to-day. His status for Friday's game against the Minnesota Wild is yet to be determined but if he cannot go Mathew Savoie is expected to make his NHL debut. Tuch has been producing at an impressive rate lately, recording nine points (4G / 5A) in his last seven games.

Alex Tuch
James Reimer will start Thursday vs. Montreal.

Reimer has served as the backup to Ville Husso in the Red Wings' last two games but will return to the crease on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. In four starts this season (2-2-0), Reimer has only one sub-.900 SV% outing and has been reliable between the pipes, registering a 1.52 GAA and .944 SV% along with one shutout. The Red Wings have followed up an early-season five-game winning streak by losing five of their last seven (2-4-1) but look poised for a strong performance against a Canadiens team amid a four-game losing streak (0-3-1).

James Reimer
Luukkonen will start in Carolina on Tuesday.

Luukkonen served as the backup on Saturday to allow Devon Levi to return to the crease but will be the Sabres' starter on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. In his most recent game, Luukkonen surrendered five goals on 19 shots in a lopsided 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. Before that, Luukkonen was in the midst of a four-game stretch (3-1-0) where he saved 113 of 122 shots (.926 SV%). The Sabres will hope that Luukkonen can re-channel that early-season form as they are heavy +200 road underdogs on Tuesday.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Lukas Rousek will draw back into the Sabres' lineup Tuesday vs. Carolina.

Rousek will play his second game of the season after recording a -2 plus/minus, one shot, and one hit through 13:57 time-on-ice in his debut on November 3rd. The Czech winger is expected to skate on the third line alongside Peyton Krebs and Victor Olofsson.

Lukas Rousek