Sabres Lines at Practice
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Sabres plan for but won’t rush Josh Norris’ return to lineup
Sabres plan for but won’t rush Josh Norris’ return to lineup
Josh Norris prepares for a return to the Buffalo Sabres' lineup, after missing 21 games due to an upper-body injury.
osh Norris is feeling good as he approaches his potential return to the Buffalo Sabres lineup.
Pump the brakes on a Thanksgiving eve comeback, though. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Tuesday after practice at KeyBank Center that Norris won’t be in the lineup when the Sabres play at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Pittsburgh.
“Not quite ready, but just trying to keep progressing,” Ruff said of Norris, who has not played since Oct. 9 due to an upper-body injury.
Sabres center Josh Norris looks on in the third period against the Rangers on Oct. 9. Norris won't play tonight against the Penguins,
but is close to returning to the lineup. Joed Viera, Buffalo News
Norris suffered the injury during the Sabres’ season opener prior to a faceoff late in the third period, and has missed 21 games.
He returned to the ice with the team on Nov. 17, for the morning skate ahead of a 5-1 win against Edmonton, but no initial timetable was given for his return. However, Norris skated Tuesday in practice on a line with Zach Benson and Noah Ostlund and worked with the Sabres’ top power-play unit in practice.
Benson returned to the lineup Sunday against Carolina after missing the previous 10 games due to a lower-body injury. He has nine assists in nine games.
“I talked a lot about Zach in the preseason,” Norris said. “Super-skilled, a really, really smart player, and just finds pockets. A guy that is easy to play with. A lot of skill, and he can make plays out of nothing.”
Ostlund has three goals and two assists and is plus-4 in 14 games.
“He’s looked really good since he’s been up, and I think he’s progressing every day and learning what he needs to do to be effective at this level,” Norris said. “You can see him trending, in a great spot. He has a lot of really good tools, a really smart player, great wheels and all the assets to be a really good player.”
Norris’ possible return this weekend would add to the Sabres’ faceoff proficiency. The Sabres enter Wednesday 32nd in the NHL in faceoff percentage (43.3%), and Norris has a career faceoff percentage of 52.4 in 240 career games.
It also would add another piece to the Sabres’ depth at forward, which took a hit in the last 4½ weeks with injuries to Norris, centers Jiri Kulich (blood clots) and Tyson Kozak (lower body), and wing Jason Zucker missed eight games due to a viral illness.
“It’s good for our club,” Ruff said. “They’re anxious. We want to see them back. We think we’re a better team when we can get them back. We’ve dealt with a lot of adversity, and you deal with it until they get back.”
UPL forges ahead
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in the starter’s net for practice Tuesday morning after back-to-back starts in goal – and back-to-back wins – Friday against Chicago and Sunday against Carolina at KeyBank Center.It’s not clear if Luukkonen will start Wednesday at Pittsburgh. Luukkonen has played in six games, including five starts in the Sabres’ first 22 games. He is 3-2-1 with a goals-against average of 2.68 and a save percentage of .897, and the wins against Chicago and Carolina were his first back-to-back starts this season.
Ruff outlined what he’s liked about Luukkonen in the last two games.
“He’s been able to pick up some stuff through traffic, and that’s probably the hardest part with the amount of people that get in front of your goaltender nowadays,” Ruff said. “He looks refreshed back there. You just put that all together, and you hope to just build confidence off that.”
But as far as Luukkonen finding consistency, Ruff said, “It’s going to take a few more. He’s getting comfortable with playing again, but I’ve liked his game.”
Hitting the road
The Sabres' game Wednesday at Pittsburgh kicks off a stretch of eight road games and just two home games in the next three weeks.The Sabres are 9-9-4 but 1-5-2 on the road, and didn’t earn their first road win until Nov. 15 – 5-4 in overtime at Detroit.
“We know that we need to pick up road wins,” Ruff said. “We’ve got to be a better road team. We’ve been right there, on the road, with a lot of games.
“A lot of the road games, we haven’t finished the deal. We have to be a better team, whether you get into the third period and you’re tied, or go ahead, preserving that win.”
The Sabres’ only home dates in the 10-game stretch that begins Wednesday in Pittsburgh: 4 p.m. Friday against New Jersey and 7:30 p.m. Monday against Winnipeg. Both games are sandwiched by an 8 p.m. game Saturday at Minnesota.