Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) - During Monday’s morning skate both Josh Norris and Jason Zucker joined their teammates for the first time. Norris got hurt on opening night trying to throw a body check and Zucker has been sick since Nov. 2 with a severe illness. As far as Zucker goes Ruff said the winger will have to put some weight on,
“Yes for sure, whatever it was it took its toll and coming back you’ve got to be a little careful too because you’ve lost that much weight you’re susceptible to further injury if you’re not close to where you need to be.
“I think the soonest we can see him is this coming weekend. It’s the first time they’ve been on the ice and they haven’t practiced and this is just the early stages and we’re dealing with two different timetables.”
Zucker added,
“It’s a day-by-day thing, just see how my energy levels are, see how much food I can eat, how much weight I can get back and where the conditioning is at.”
Zucker knows he has work to do to get back. He said,
“I’ve been trying to gain some strength, try to get some food, try to get my conditioning back, that dropped off significantly, so just trying to do those things and get back as soon as I can.”
Zucker said he was either on the couch or in bed for almost two weeks. He said he also is very thankful for his family,
“My fiancee was taking care of me, she did a great job, luckily she didn’t get it, so I would’ve been in one if she wasn’t there so I was thankful for that.”
Many thought Norris would be out two months or more. Ruff said,
“He’s done better which is encouraging for sure. I think we originally thought a little bit longer, but he’s feeling really good, so to have him out there I look at it as ahead of schedule.”
It’s totally understandable that after all the work he put in during the summer that Norris was extremely upset when he got hurt. He said,
“It was tough going through that, I just wanted to get off to a really good start and in preseason I got my game going and it was really good, but sometimes things happen that you don’t understand and you have to live with that.
“There were definitely some tough days for sure, but you’ve just got to keep going.”
Michael Kesselring wasn’t on the ice and is still in a walking boot. Ruff said,
“He’s going to be further evaluated today, but it’s going to be a little bit of time for him.”
Zach Metsa has been called up to be the extra defenseman and Jacob Bryson will be back in the lineup.
Colten Ellis appears to be getting his second straight start and third start in four games. Ruff has like many aspects of the young goalie’s game,
“I think he’s made some big saves at key times, his puck play has helped us out. You can frustrate a team by making sure that you’re picking off the rims and you’re stopping the plays that are going around, you can break out a little bit quicker, he’s been good with that, but the most important part is sometimes for a goaltender it’s just getting that big save at a crucial and I think you look at the save we got on that last penalty kill it was a big save at that time of the game.”
Ellis is 2-1-0 with a 3.36 goals against and .895 save percentage.
Buffalo is still last in the Eastern Conference and 29th in the NHL with a points percentage of .444. The Sabres are six points out of a playoff spot.
The Edmonton Oilers come into Buffalo with three wins in four games. They also have just three wins in seven games.
Connor McDavid has three goals and eight assists for 11 points in his last seven games against Buffalo. McDavid is second in league scoring with nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 20 games. Leon Draisaitl has 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 20 games.
Stuart Skinner has played in five of the Oilers last six games. He’s 7-4-3 with a 2.77 goals against and .891 save percentage.
The Sabres traded away Matt Savoie when they acquired Ryan McLeod from the Oilers. In 20 games he has two goals and three assists for five points.
In the Western Conference the Chicago Blackhawks are seventh in the playoff race while the Vegas Golden Knights are eighth.The Minnesota WIld are ninth and the Oilers are 10th. All four teams have 22 points.
Join “Schoop and the Bulldog” for the pregame starting at 6:00 when you’ll hear from Ruff, Norris and Zucker.
MONDAY’S LINES:
Doan - Thompson - Tuch
Rosen- McLeod - Quinn
Krebs - Kozak - Greenway
Dunne - Ostlund - Malenstyn
DEFENSE:
Samuelsson - Dahlin
Bryson - Power
Byram - Timmins
Geertsen - Metsa