Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres returned from their Olympic break on Tuesday, where head coach Lindy Ruff held meetings.
Then on Wednesday, the players were back on the ice for the first time without goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, forwards Zach Benson, Jordan Greenway, Jiri Kulich and Justin Danforth, as well as defenseman Conor Timmins.
The good news is Buffalo got forwards Josh Norris and Josh Dunne back on the ice in yellow non-contact jerseys, which Ruff says they will shed on Thursday if everything went well in Wednesday’s practice.
As for the rest of the injuries facing the Sabres:
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: "'UPL’s' good. He skated this morning, he’s within days of joining us."
Zach Benson: "Benson is a further evaluation today, and we’ll find out whether he joins us tomorrow or not."
Jordan Greenway: "He’s trying a different type of treatment, so he’ll be out a period of time. If that works, he can get back. But we’re not putting a timeframe on it right now."
Conor Timmins and Justin Danforth: "They’re both skating, they’re both progressing, but they’re a period of time too before they return."
Jiri Kulich: "He’s under protocol (blood clots), and I think early in March, we’ll get another reading of where he’s at. That should be where he’s able to progress, or do we have to keep him where he’s at? He’s been skating, but when dealing with a blood clot, there’s protocol you’ve got to follow. He’ll get a pretty good idea when he gets reevaluated the next time."
The Sabres don’t play until next Wednesday in New Jersey against the Devils. Ruff says he had planned one practice, but once things got going, he ramped it up.
"It’s good to get back and get going," Ruff said. "It’ll be a couple of days of skating and get ready to roll.
"We went way above how we had mapped out today. Today was more about conditioning and compete, and we went over what we had mapped out. But with shorter numbers, we only had one short of four lines and only five D. The reps were more, and that leads to guy exerting more than they usually do."
The Sabres have Rasmus Dahlin in the Olympics along with Tage Thompson, and their coach has been watching.
"I haven’t caught all of it, but I’ve caught quite a bit," Ruff admitted. "I thought they’ve both represented their team well. They’ve both played great, and now they get to go head-to-head."
During the break, Dunne went to Italy and the Olympics, and saw three women's hockey games. His younger sister, Joy, plays for Team USA, while his girlfriend, Ella Shelton, plays for Team Canada.
Those two teams will be playing for the gold medal on Thursday.
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Dunne met Shelton when they both played hockey at Clarkson University. He says it’s kind of weird for him.
"It’s a funny situation, a win-lose situation no matter what," joked Dunne following Wednesday's practice. "I’m just so proud of them both and so happy for them. To get to the highest level, the Olympic Gold Medal Game, where they’ve both earned it and both worked so hard, it’s so exciting to see the journeys they’ve both had. So for me, it’s, in a way, stress-free because I’m just watching them enjoy themselves and living out their dreams."
These women have become role models for women's hockey not only in North America, but around the world. Dunne says he loves that his sister and girlfriend are a part of that.
"I think it’s so good for women’s hockey everywhere to see these girls making the plays they’re making out there. It’s unbelievable," he said. "Just the growth of the game is so good for the next generations, and the U.S. and Canada challenging each other and the rivalry just helps young girls out there watching everywhere and inspires them."
Not only is the Dunne family proud of Joy and her accomplishments, but Josh was supposed to be playing this season for the Rochester Americans. He did play two games, but he’s played so well in his 28 games with the Sabres - playing a style of game that only he brings to this team - he’s made it impossible to send him back down.
"It’s been really exciting for us, and honestly, I wouldn’t be here without them and the support system that I have," Josh said. "I’m so thankful for them to be there and support me, and our parents sacrificed so much. It’s awesome to reflect on it, and just see how far we’ve come with our careers."