Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Alex Tuch took part in Tuesday’s morning skate for the Buffalo Sabres, and head coach Don Granato says the winger will play against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Sabres will also be welcoming back winger Jack Quinn after he had his Achilles operated on in June.
Granato says Quinn will immediately be playing as part of the penalty kill. Buffalo has fallen to 13th in the league on the penalty kill, thanks to a recent stretch of 12 games where they’ve only killed 20-of-29 penalties (69%). Missing Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jordan Greenway and Zemgus Girgensons for stretches has really hurt the penalty kill.
The power play is absolutely atrocious, scoring in just one of 11 games, going 2-for-29 (7%) in that stretch.
Buffalo is 3-2-1 in its last six games, but they remain five points out of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
Thompson came back from injury seven games ago, but hasn't looked like himself. Teams key on him now, and he can’t seem to get through it. In his last nine games, Thompson has one goal and two assists for three points.
Devon Levi gets the call in goal once again for Buffalo. In his four starts since coming back from the Rochester Americans, Levi is 3-0-1, giving up just seven goals. One of those good games was wasted when the Sabres lost in a shootout to the Montreal Canadiens.
Overall this season, Levi is 6-4-2 with a 3.07 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage.
Eric Robinson will play his first game against his old team on Tuesday. Robinson was traded to Buffalo on Dec. 6, and has one goal and two assists for three points in six games.
Columbus comes in to Buffalo with two wins in seven games.
Danill Tarasov gets his second-straight start in goal for the Blue Jackets. In his first start this season, he gave up five goals on 29 shots in a loss to the New Jersey Devils.
The 24-year-old was a third-round pick of the Blue Jackets in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Kent Johnson was a teammate of Owen Power at the University of Michigan, and was the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the same draft when the Sabres made Power the first overall pick.
Johnson didn't start off the season well with Columbus, and was even sent down to the Cleveland Monsters for 10 games. He had 15 points in those 10 games, and has recently caught fire with the Blue Jackets again, scoring two goals and four assists for six points in five games.
Last season, Johnny Gaudreau was the NHL’s most sought after free agent, but it hasn’t worked out well for Columbus. This year, he’s the team’s fifth leading scorer with five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 32 games. Last year, there was more production, as he had 53 assists and 74 points in 80 games.
Cole Sillinger was another first-round pick from the 2021 NHL Draft, as he went 12th overall. This season, he has one goal and eight assists for nine points in 27 games.
Patrik Laine is out 6-to-8 weeks after a cheap shot slew-foot from Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman William Lagesson, who sent Laine crashing into the wall. Laine suffered a clavicle fracture as a result of the play.
Laine has been another huge disappointment for the Blue Jackets, scoring six goals and three assists for nine points in 18 games.
Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner has 13 goals in 29 games, but he’s out for six weeks due to a broken jaw.
Join Mike Schopp and the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST when you’ll hear from Granato, Robinson, Quinn and Zach Benson.
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