Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – As the Buffalo Sabres prepare to play the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, they recalled winger Brett Murray from the Rochester Americans, while sending Isak Rosen back to the AHL.
In Rochester, Murray scored two goals and five assists for seven points in 12 games. In 71 games last season with the Amerks, he had 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 points.
Murray has played 11 NHL games with the Sabres, netting two goals and four assists for six points. However, it’s almost been two years since he played a game in Buffalo. Murray's last game was back on Jan. 22, 2022 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 25-year-old winger says it’s been a long time coming for his return to the NHL.
"It has been a little while, but I’ve tried to keep myself ready and prepared for this moment. Hopefully I can seize the opportunity," said Murray following Monday's morning skate.
In 217 AHL games with Rochester, Murray has 58 goals and 74 assists for 132 points. Murray has tried to stay consistent in Rochester.
"It’s just sticking with a routine, or just trying to get better every single day," Murray said. "We have a great staff down in Rochester that has helped me out tremendously, so just leaning on them and continuing to work no matter what, and hopefully it pays off."
Murray adds size to the lineup, as he’s 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds. Between him and Eric Robinson, the team has gotten quite a bit bigger.
During Monday's morning skate, Murray skated on a line with Tyson Jost and Victor Olofsson.
Rosen had a few good moments, but he still needs more strength and seasoning before he’s ready for a full-time spot in the NHL. In seven games played in Buffalo, the 20-year-old had no points.
Alex Tuch re-joined his teammates for the morning skate on Monday, but didn’t skate on a regular line. Head coach Don Granato says Tuch won’t play Monday, but has a good chance to play Wednesday in Colorado against the Avalanche.
Devon Levi will likely get the call in net for his third-straight game on Monday. Since returning from Rochester, he’s 1-0-1 with a 1.44 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage.
Overall this season, Levi is 4-4-2 with a 3.27 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage.
Mattias Samuelsson left the ice before the morning skate was over. He’s being evaluated for some soreness.
Goal scoring, of course, is now a huge problem for the Sabres. They’ve only scored four or more goals twice in the last 16 games, and they only won one of them. Buffalo is 25th in the league, scoring an average of 2.82 goals per-game.
The Coyotes are 16th in the NHL with a points percentage of .538. Arizona holds down the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot, leading the St. Louis Blues by one point.
Arizona has lost their last two games, but that was after they won five-straight games against the last five Stanley Cup winning teams.
The Coyotes have gotten great goaltending from Connor Ingram. He’s 11-5-0 this season with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
The 26-year-old was a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016. Arizona claimed him off waivers from the Nashville Predators in October of 2022. All but three of his 47 NHL games have been with the Coyotes.
Ingram is going to get a rest against the Sabres, as Karel Vejmelka will be in goal for the Coyotes. He's 2-6-2 this season with a 3.45 goals-against average average and an .892 save percentage.
Clayton Keller leads Arizona in scoring with 25 points in 26 games. Two years ago, Keller had 28 goals, but last season was a career year for the 25-year-old, scoring 37 goals and 49 assists for 86 points.
Join Mike Schopp and the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST when you’ll hear from Granato, Murray and Tuch.
