Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Jordan Greenway won't be playing on Wednesday, as the Buffalo Sabres host the Boston Bruins to start a four-game homestand.
A little over a month ago, the Sabres winger left town the get a new treatment for a mid-body injury that has had two unsuccessful surgeries. The winger, of course, was getting frustrated, because he's only be able to play 33 games this season, most of them while nursing the injury.
The treatment is something that has finally worked for Greenway, and just talking to him, I could see how happy he finally is.
"It went great. It was absolutely phenomenal,” said Greenway. “Right now, without a doubt, the best I've felt in a long time.
"I've been dealing with this for a long time, and it's been… terrible. There's light at the end of the tunnel, for sure," he added after a long sigh.
This has been going on for a lot of the time Greenway has been a member of the Sabres. It just seemed like nothing was working, so why not try something different?
"Over the last two-and-a-half years, there's been a lot of question marks on what the play is," Greenway said. "We've done so many things and everyone was searching for something, and collectively we all came to the same decision that we wanted to do the program that I went through. And truthfully, I'm absolutely shocked on how much better I feel, how great the outcome was. There were a lot of times where it was dark, I didn't know what the outcome was going to be, if I ever was going to get better. So the excitement, the shock, but ultimately I feel 100 times better than I did even two months ago. It's just so positive and so reassuring."
Greenway's last game came back on Jan. 22 in Montreal. The turnaround in this team had already started, but he just loves what his teammates have done in his absence.
"I couldn't be more proud of what these guys are accomplishing,” Greenway acknowledged. “I don't know what everyone is saying, so I don't know if these guys are even getting the credit they deserve. From where we've been (last in the Eastern Conference in late November) to where it is now (second in the East), I mean, you guys can write it."
Buffalo is coming off a West Coast road trip that saw them pick up 7-of-8 points and hold off the Tampa Bay Lightning, who did the same. The Lightning did pick up two points on Tuesday when they beat the Minnesota Wild, but the Sabres still lead the Atlantic Division with a points percentage of .669 to Tampa Bay’s .664.
The Sabres trail the conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes by one point.
Buffalo is fourth overall in the NHL standings.
The Sabres have picked up points in 13-of-14 games, going 12-1-1 along the way.
It's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's turn in goal for the Sabres against the Bruins. He’s 7-1-0 in his last eight games, and has allowed just one goal in his last two starts and three goals in his last three.
Overall this season, Luukkonen is 17-8-2 with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
In his last 30 games, Rasmus Dahlin is second in NHL defensive scoring with 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points.
Buffalo is 1-1-1 against the Boston Bruins this season.
Mattias Samuelsson, who was back on the ice Wednesday morning after missing Tuesday’s practice with an illness, leads all scorers in those three games with four points.
Conor Timmins has been out with a broken leg since Dec. 18, missing 38 games. It appears he'll be returning on Wednesday, as he came off the ice this morning with the rest of the team.
Meanwhile, Zach Metsa stayed on the ice and did extra work with the other players not dressing for the game.
If I were to guess, it may be because head coach Lindy Ruff wants to get Timmins some games, and Timmins is an excellent penalty killer.
In the last two games, the Sabres’ penalty kill has been way off, killing just 4-of-7 penalties.
The Bruins suffered a very disappointing home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Boston has lost 4-of-7 games, and are in the Eastern Conference's first Wild Card position with a points percentage of .606.
The Ottawa Senators are next at .599, while the Detroit Red Wings are the first team out at .592. The New York Islanders are also in the mix at .590.
Jeremy Swayman played Tuesday night in goal, and has played four-straight games. That means Boston is likely to go with Joonas Korpisalo in net.
Korpisalo is 11-9-4 this season with a 3.30 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.
Tune in during "Schopp and the Bulldog" for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6:30 p.m., when you'll hear from Ruff, Bo Byram and Greenway. This is a radio-only broadcast for Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on WGR Sports Radio 550.
The winger feels 100 times better than he did two months ago
The winger feels 100 times better than he did two months ago
