With Sam Reinhart day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Thompson will draw into the lineup vs. the Devils. Thompson is expected to skate on the top line with Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson and comes in with one assist in four games this year.
Ennis has had a slow start to the season, failing to pick up a point in his first four games. On Tuesday he cleared waivers and will go to the taxi squad, so look for Patrick Russell to make his season debut in Ennis' spot in the bottom-6.
Jokiharju missed the Sabres' morning skate on Tuesday with what the Sabres are calling a "very minor" injury. He's listed as a game-time decision for tonight's game vs. the Rangers and will be replaced by Matt Irwin if he's unavailable.
Cozens was sent to the taxi squad prior to Sunday's game so that the Sabres could get Casey Mittelstadt into the lineup. The two swapped spots on Tuesday morning, so look for Cozens to skate with Eric Staal and Victor Olofsson vs. the Rangers. The rookie has scored one goal with one assist in his first five career NHL games.
Clifton has been a healthy scratch for the first four games of the season but will replace Matt Grzelcyk (leg) in the lineup on Saturday. The 25-year-old defenseman had just two goals in 31 games a season ago.
Clague played in the season opener but sat out the last two games. On Thursday he is expected to replace Kurtis MacDermid and skate on the third line with Sean Walker. He had one shot and two PIMS in 15:19 TOI last Thursday.
Gilbert played 9:54 TOI in his season debut on Tuesday. Gilbert played because Ian Cole was traded for Greg Pateryn a few hours before the game. With Pateryn available on Thursday, Gilbert will be scratched.
Byram was the No.4 overall pick in 2019 and will replace Erik Johnson and make his NHL debut in Los Angeles. The 19-year-old blueliner was a standout at the 2021 World Juniors, picking up five points (1G / 4A) in seven games on the Silver Medal-winning Canadian team. In 2020, Byram had 14 goals and 38 assists (52 points) in 50 games with the Vancouver Giants (WHL).
Reimer served as Petr Mrazek’s backup for the first two games of the season but will start Monday in Nashville. Reimer was solid in that role in 2020, going 14-6-2 with a 2.66 GAA, .914 SV% and three shutouts. That included a really strong 10-4-0, 2.71 GAA, .914 SV% and two shutouts on the road.
Byram was the No.4 overall pick in 2019 and is coming off of a terrific showing as a member of Team Canada at the World Juniors. The 19-year-old defenseman had 52 points (14G / 38A) in 50 AHL games a season ago and could make his NHL debut at some point during the 2021 season.
Sheahan was in Sabres camp on a PTO but signed Friday after the news of Zemgus Girgensons being out for the season. Sheahan spent the 2020 season with the Oilers, collecting eight goals and seven assists (15 points) in 66 games. Sheahan will likely open the 2021 season on the fourth line and will help replace Girgensons on the penalty kill.
With Bishop out for at least one month, the Stars will continue to lean on Anton Khudobin as their No.1 netminder, as they did during their playoff run. Bishop told The Athletic that the surgery was to repair the meniscus in his right knee and that he is expecting to get back to Dallas in the next couple of weeks and hopes to be on the ice soon.
Greenway set a new career-high with 28 points (8G / 20A) in 67 games in 2019-20. With Kirill Kaprizov coming over from the KHL, Greenway gets pushed down the depth chart, likely limiting him to a third-line role for most of 2021. The big, physical power-forward ranked third on the Wild with 95 hits last year.
Ennis returns to the Oilers on a one-year deal after posting four points (2G / 2A) in nine games as a trade deadline acquisition. Ennis is a candidate to play with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, making him someone worth keep an eye on on the waiver wire.
After spending four years at Brown University and one full season in the AHL, Lafferty spent most of 2020 with the Penguins, scoring six goals with seven assists (13 points) in 50 games. There were a lot of moving parts in Pittsburgh in the offseason but Lafferty should still have a spot in their bottom-6 come January.
