Just as the young core took flight, one of its prominent members became the latest Buffalo Sabres player on the injured list.
Winger Jack Quinn underwent an MRI exam Friday to determine the severity of a lower-body injury suffered during the first period of the Sabres’ 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars in KeyBank Center one night earlier and will miss "some time," General Manager Kevyn Adams told reporters.
Quinn, 20, scored his first career NHL goal on a wrist shot that went bar down to beat Braden Holtby on the power play, and recorded an assist for a multipoint game. Quinn finished with 13:15 of ice time and three shots on goal in his second appearance with the Sabres. Coach Don Granato struck an optimistic tone when discussing the setback, explaining that Quinn's ability to remain in the game could bode well for the diagnosis.
"He played through it for two periods, which probably is a good sign," said Granato.
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The injury occurred when Quinn had an opportunity to seize a full-time role in the NHL. The Sabres were already without wingers Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons and Vinnie Hinostroza, providing Quinn a chance to have top-six minutes and a spot on the top power play.Â
Drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2020, Quinn earned a promotion before puck drop Thursday because of his remarkable play with the Sabres' American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester. Entering Friday, Quinn was tied for the AHL lead with 18 goals and his 35 points ranked fourth. He accomplished that in only 24 games, as he missed approximately six weeks with mono. With Quinn sidelined, winger Brett Murray was recalled from Rochester.
"He's a young guy, he’ll come back out of this even better," Granato said. "Young guys, when they get time out, they don’t stop improving. It sounds funny, it sounds odd, but it’s much like when he had mono, everyone was worried about how he’s going to come back. Well, he came back even better. They internalize more, they get to step back and soak some things in from a different angle and it does help them."
There were some promising updates for the Sabres, none more surprising than goalie Craig Anderson's participation in practice Friday. Anderson, 40, had not skated for a full practice since he suffered an upper-body injury on a collision with the Sharks' Tomas Hertl in a Nov. 2 game at San Jose. Anderson estimated he'll need five-to-seven practices to be back in game shape, but there was some cautious optimism when he spoke to reporters. The ailment is still bothersome at times and Anderson said he has used his two months of off-ice treatment to development a routine to help him become pain-free.
Anderson had a .921 save percentage and 2.50 goals-against average in six appearances prior to the injury, leading the Sabres to a 4-2 record when in goal. Granato told reporters that when Anderson is ready, he'll resume his role as the club's starting goalie.
"There’s going to be good days and bad days right now," Anderson said. "There might be days where I know I can’t go on the ice and it’s just going to flare up. We’re taking it day by day and right now we’ve kind of found a routine that works to kind of give me some relief to get out there."
Additionally, the Sabres anticipate that Girgensons and center Casey Mittelstadt will be ready to return to the lineup Tuesday night in Ottawa. Mittelstadt, 23, has played only four games this season because of two separate upper-body injuries, the latest of which has sidelined him since Dec. 7. Granato joked that Mittelstadt will be "barking" to be in the lineup Saturday against Philadelphia, but the Sabres want the 2017 first-round draft choice to get more practice time before returning.
Defenseman Jacob Bryson pushed himself in practice Friday with the hope that he can end his three-game absence. Bryson, 24, is averaging 19:36 of ice time in 32 games, and he'll be needed with defenseman Will Butcher sidelined because of an upper-body injury suffered during the first period Thursday night. Butcher underwent a CT scan Friday to determine the severity of his ailment, Adams told reporters.
Okposo is aiming to return during the club's West Coast trip to Arizona, Colorado and Vegas, which begins Jan. 29. The 33-year-old winger avoided serious injury on an ugly collision into the boards Tuesday in Ottawa. Okposo has seven goals and 23 points in 37 games this season. He and Girgensons are the Sabres' alternate captains.
Goalie Dustin Tokarski remains out while dealing with side effects from his bout with Covid-19 last month. Tokarski, 32, hasn't been on the ice with the Sabres since they returned from their two-game trip to Nashville and Detroit this week, and he saw another specialist recently.
Winger Drake Caggiula, who was in a noncontact jersey, has also stopped skating with the team and is seeing another doctor to determine when he can resume working his way back from an upper-body injury.
Hinostroza's timeline to return from a lower-body injury is approximately four to six weeks.
The Sabres have 244 man games lost to injury, not counting the months Alex Tuch missed before he was acquired from Vegas in the blockbuster trade that sent Jack Eichel to the Golden Knights. It's a situation Granato has gotten accustomed to, as he's used eight goalies since he took over as coach last March.Â
"I found out in life things work a lot better when you stick to the positives, stick with things you can do, compete with things that are within your control," said Granato. "You start dwelling, you lose energy, you lose passion. ... So, yeah, a lot of adversity heaped on us."
