Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Henri Jokiharju was the first from the injury list to return to practice on Friday. The defenseman did everything during the session, but he’s not going to play Sunday against the New York Rangers.
“Henri looked great. It’s just a matter of strength and making sure we give him the time to get back to strength," said Sabres head coach Don Granato following Friday's practice.
“The only concern going forward would be how fast he may fatigue.”
Granato said it usually takes a guy two to four practices, at most, before they get back going.
Jokiharju has been out since the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. In the first period, he took a shot on the ankle, but never left the game. As it turned out, he played the last two periods with a broken bone in his ankle.
“I just kept the boot on with the skate, and that helps you play through the game. But if you take that boot off, it swells and you can’t put the skate back on,” said Jokiharju after practice.
Jokiharju has missed the 15 games since his injury, which was tough for him after an offseason of hard work to prepare for the 2021-22 season.
“It’s been tough, because I was waiting all summer to get back and then that happened," Jokiharju said. "It was a big setback for me.”
The 22-year-old defenseman has been on the ice for over a week now. He said it’s been easier being with some of the other guys.
“It was a long process with the trainers on the ice, and I had 'Vic' [Victor Olofsson], 'Mitzy' [Casey Mittelstadt] and 'Tucky' [Alex Tuch] on the ice as well," Jokiharju said. "It was bad for our team that it was that many guys, but it was nice that I didn’t have to be there by myself.”
With five games next week, Jokiharju hopes to return some time in that stretch.
Robert Hagg didn’t practice on Fridat, but Granato described it as a maintenance day and he will be back full go on Saturday.
Colin Miller didn’t finish Thursday’s game after being run into the boards by Milan Lucic. Replays showed Miller had lost his balance before Lucic got to him to finish him.
“He felt fine," Granato said of his veteran defenseman. "They put him in the protocol and pulled him from the bench because of where he got hit. He looked like he stumbled before the hit, which left himself more exposed.”
As far as the hit itself, Granato wasn't necessarily a fan of the play.
“I want our guys to be able to defend themselves," Granato said. "He did trip up, but obviously when your guy gets hit like that you don’t like it. I’ll leave it at that.”
Granato says he’ll have a harder practice on Saturday, but he wanted the team to sit on that loss to the Calgary Flames.
“It’s one of those games you want to forget, but you have to remember," he said. "I think they’ll feel much better tomorrow, but I didn’t want to change any mood today at all, and [let them] think about it and soak it in.”
Starting on Sunday, the Sabres will play five games in seven nights - three at home and two on the road.
Friday’s lines:
Forwards:
Skinner – Thompson – Asplund
Girgensons – Eakin – Okposo
Bjork – Ruotsalainen – Hayden
Caggiula – Cozens – Hinostroza
Defense:
Dahlin – Pysyk
Bryson – Jokiharju
Wolanin – Butcher
Miller
***Photo: Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres)
