The Buffalo Sabres are one win away from advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the primary time in 19 years — and so they’ll have a mostly healthy roster against the Boston Bruins in Game 5.
The Sabres have all of Jason Zucker, Josh Norris and Tyson Kozak available to play on the KeyBank Center on Tuesday night, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed.
Zucker is the one of the trio who has played every game within the postseason to this point. The 34-year-old was injured in Game 4 and didn’t return; Buffalo scoring 4 goals before the competition was quarter-hour old, and eventually winning 6-1, could have contributed to him not returning to the lean.
Norris suited up for Games 1 and a pair of, seeing a shade over 16 minutes of ice time in each. He suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 2, and was replaced by Kozak. The 23-year-old played just eight minutes in Game 3, but was excellent in Game 4, skating 11 minutes while adding an assist and two shots on goal. He was also banged up in the competition, but looks to be good to go.
Based on the morning skate, it looks just like the lines will likely be the identical as Game 4, which suggests Norris will likely be out of the lineup. Zucker is about to skate on the second line with Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn, while the fourth line is currently made up of Kozak, Jordan Greenway and Beck Malenstyn.
There is no real reason for Buffalo to make changes, and it’s encouraging to see that the regulars all appear to be healthy. The Sabres dominated in Game 4, scoring 4 goals in the primary period and never looking back in front of a stunned crowd at TD Garden.
The atmosphere figures to be far more rambunctious in Western Recent York on Tuesday night, because the Sabres return home after putting together a best-case scenario — winning each games in Boston.
They’ll now have a first-rate opportunity to eliminate their Atlantic Division rivals on home ice, and book their ticket to Round 2 for the primary time in nearly twenty years.
The Buffalo Sabres are one win away from advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the primary time in 19 years — and so they’ll have a mostly healthy roster against the Boston Bruins in Game 5. The Sabres have all of Jason Zucker, Josh Norris and Tyson Kozak available to play on the KeyBank Center on Tuesday night, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed.