VANCOUVER – Help is on the way for the Buffalo Sabres’ depleted defense corps, which played a man down for part, or most, of their wins over Edmonton and Calgary.
The club announced Friday afternoon that defenseman Lawrence Pilut was recalled ahead of the Sabres’ game against the Vancouver Canucks in Rogers Arena. Pilut, 26, had two assists in three games with the Rochester Americans. He hasn’t appeared in an NHL regular-season game since March 5, 2020, only a few months before he signed a contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League.
The Sabres needed reinforcements ahead of their game Saturday against the Canucks after losing Henri Jokiharju and Ilya Lyubushkin to injuries in separate games. Lyubushkin skated with the team Thursday morning in Calgary and remains day to day after blocking a shot during a second-period penalty kill in Edmonton. Jokiharju’s status is unknown, however, after the 23-year-old took a puck to the face when the Sabres attempted to dump the puck into the offensive zone during the first period in Calgary.
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Casey Fitzgerald played well in 15:04 of ice time against the Flames, but the Sabres were without a healthy, extra defenseman since Fitzgerald drew into the lineup for Lyubushkin. Pilut, a left-shot defenseman, performed well in preseason with the Sabres after re-joining the club on a one-year, $750,000 contract.
