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Latest On Tage Thompson, Devon Levi

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Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson has returned to team practice this morning, taking line rushes with Casey Mittelstadt and Jeff Skinner today. Thompson has not played since November 14th and has been working his way back from an upper-body injury.

Should Thompson return to the Sabres’ first-line next to Mittelstadt and Skinner, he would thereby be displacing winger Alex Tuch from that trio. Thompson’s return could very well result in Isak Rosén returning to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, seeing as he has no points through four NHL games this year and a spot in the team’s forward lineup would need to be cleared.

  • According to The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski, the Sabres are expected to recall goaltender Devon Levi from the Americans today. Netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is battling an illness, so with the Sabres set to play the Detroit Red Wings tonight, Buffalo is likely to recall its top goalie prospect. Levi was sent down in order to have a “reset” after a difficult start to the season, so while he’ll likely serve as the backup for this recall he should be expected to be returned to the AHL in relatively short order.

Jordan Greenway Will Not Return To Game Due To Upper-Body Injury

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Early in their game tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres’ forward, Jordan Greenway, left the bench with an apparent injury. After the first intermission, the Sabres announced that Greenway would not return to tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury.

Through 20 games this season, Greenway had gotten off to a solid pace compared to his previous production, scoring two goals and five assists while averaging just under 17 minutes a night. Primarily playing on Buffalo’s third line next to Peyton Krebs and Kyle Okposo, Greenway has mostly factored in as a gritty player on the Sabres roster, blocking 20 shots and throwing 29 hits to start the season.

Given the nature of the injury, it is unlikely that Greenway will be cleared to play in the team’s game tomorrow against the Nashville Predators, meaning the Sabres’ extra forward, Isak Rosen, will likely factor into tomorrow’s contest. Through three games in the NHL this season, Rosen has yet to score a point, but has scored eight goals and 11 assists through 16 games for Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Nevertheless, it is a tough blow to a Buffalo forward group that has struggled immensely compared to last year’s team. The Sabres currently sit 23rd in the league in GF/G as opposed to last season, when the team finished third in the respective category.

Adams Provides Updates On Thompson, Quinn, And Girgensons; Komarov Set To Be Moved In QMJHL

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  • Earlier this week, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams provided injury updates to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald on several injured Buffalo forwards. Tage Thompson is progressing well from his hand injury and the team hopes that he’ll be on the shorter end of the timeline for a recovery period that’s supposed to be less than two months; he has been out since November 14th.  Jack Quinn, meanwhile, is on track to return sometime around January 1st as he works his way back from a torn Achilles tendon from the offseason.  As for Zemgus Girgensons, who has missed the last week with a lower-body injury, is listed as week-to-week.
  • Still with Buffalo, Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov is expected to be traded in the QMJHL to Drummondville in the coming days, reports Journal Express’ Jonathan Habashi. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2022 and earned his entry-level contract back in May following a good showing with Quebec in their Memorial Cup run.  Now with the Remparts rebuilding, it appears that Komarov will get a chance to catch on with another contender.  Through 21 games this season, he has two goals and 14 assists.

Sabres Send Jiri Kulich To AHL, Jordan Greenway Set To Return

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The Buffalo Sabres have shared that Jordan Greenway is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday when the team takes on the St. Louis Blues. Greenway’s return required a player to be sent down, with Buffalo choosing to return rookie Jiri Kulich to the AHL. This move solidifies fellow rookie Isak Rosen’s spot in the NHL lineup for the short term, with Brandon Biro’s recent recall providing additional depth.

Greenway has missed a week of action due to personal reasons. He’s played in 19 games so far this season, recording two goals and six points. He’s also tallied 19 penalty minutes, ranking fourth on the Sabres roster in the stat. Greenway is in his first full season with the Sabres, joining the team midway through last season via trade. Greenway had previously spent six seasons with the Minnesota Wild, recording 317 games, 119 points, and 227 penalty minutes with the club.

Kulich and Rosen both made their NHL debut on November 25th. Neither player has scored their first NHL point yet, although Rosen did earn one more game than Kulich, slotting into the team’s most recent matchup. The duo has proven incredibly productive in the AHL, serving as the top two scoring leaders for the Rochester Americans. Rosen has scored eight goals and 19 points in 16 AHL games, while Kulich has netted 11 goals and 17 points in the same amount of games.

Biro ranks third in scoring at Rochester, with 12 points in 10 games. He has also played in two NHL games this season, netting his first two NHL goals and recording a +1. Biro signed with the Sabres as an undrafted free agent in 2020, following the conclusion of Penn State University’s 2019-20 season.

Buffalo Sabres Recall Brandon Biro

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The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Brandon Biro from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. He swaps with goaltender Devon Levi, who was reassigned from the Sabres to Rochester yesterday.

The Sabres have an upcoming two-game road trip that will take them through St. Louis and North Carolina, so adding Biro gives the club an extra forward to work with as they embark on that trip.

Biro, 25, was signed to the Sabres organization as an undrafted free agent out of the Big-10 and Penn State. He became an instant impact scorer for Rochester, potting 12 goals and 41 points in his 48-game rookie campaign.

Last season, Biro was Rochester’s top scorer on a points-per-game basis, notching 16 goals and 51 points in just 49 games. He did not play in any NHL games last year, though.

So far this season, Biro has already played in two NHL contests. He has gotten off to a strong AHL start once again, scoring six goals and 12 points in 10 games.

He also has two goals in the NHL, and the Sabres will hope that his offense can continue to translate and Biro can help them get some valuable points against two tough road opponents.

Sabres Loan Devon Levi To AHL

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The Buffalo Sabres have sent top goalie prospect Devon Levi to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Rochester is gearing up for a road trip with back-to-back games against the Belleville Senators on Friday and Saturday, which could present a good opportunity for Levi to get AHL conditioning. The 21-year-old goaltender has appeared in nine NHL games so far this season, setting a 3-4-1 record and a .876 save percentage.

Buffalo has faced a lot of questions with their goaltending this season, currently carrying three serviceable goalies in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Eric Comrie, and Levi. Luukkonen has taken on the starting job, at least in the short term, as he’s recorded a 6-3-1 record and .918 save percentage through 11 games this season. This includes the 25-save win that he recorded on Monday night, taking down the top-ranked team in the league, the New York Rangers. Comrie has matched Levi’s .876 save percentage while appearing in five games of his own.

Levi has yet to play in the AHL through his early career, joining the Sabres after the conclusion of Northeastern University’s 2022-23 season. He tallied a dazzling .933 save percentage in 34 games with Northeastern last season, a mark that was one-upped by his 2021-22 season when he recorded a .952 save percentage in 32 games – the sixth-highest, single-season save percentage in NCAA history. His two seasons of action at Northeastern University earned him a career .942 save percentage in college, the third-highest career save percentage of any collegiate goaltender, sandwiched between Connor Hellebuyck and Ryan Miller.

Levi has played a total of 16 career NHL games, recording a .890 save percentage in total. He is the youngest goalie to play in the NHL this season.

Mattias Samuelsson Will Be Game-Time Decision Monday

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  • Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will be a game-time decision tonight against the Rangers as he deals with an upper-body injury, head coach Don Granato told reporters this morning (via Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News). The oft-injured blueliner left Saturday’s blowout loss to the Devils after taking a stick to the face and receiving multiple stitches to repair a cut on his lower lip, which is still causing him significant pain. Per Granato, he was held out of the remainder of the contest to clear concussion protocol. If Samuelsson does not play tonight, it will be his second injury-related absence of the season. A lower-body issue cost him three games at the beginning of the month. The 23-year-old is averaging a diminished 19:27 per game this season through 18 games, recording one goal, two assists, a -1 rating, and a middling Corsi share of 47.6% at even strength.

Sabres Recall Jiri Kulich And Isak Rosen

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With Zemgus Girgensons leaving yesterday’s game early due to injury and Jordan Greenway being a late scratch, the Sabres needed some reinforcements up front.  Those have come in the form of Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen as the team announced that both forwards have been recalled from AHL Rochester.

To make room for them on the roster, Girgensons has been placed on injured reserve and is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.  Greenway, meanwhile, is away from the team for personal reasons, making him eligible for non-roster status.

Kulich was the 28th overall pick by Buffalo in 2022 and appears to be well on his way toward outperforming that draft spot.  He spent all of last season with the Americans and fared quite well as an underager, notching 24 goals and 22 assists in 62 regular season games while chipping in with 11 points in a dozen playoff contests.  This year, he’s off to an even better start with 11 goals and six helpers in his first 16 appearances.  Kulich can play up to nine games with the Sabres before officially burning the first year of his entry-level contract so it’s quite possible that his promotion will be a short-term one.

As for Rosen, whose promotion was first reported by Pickin’ Splinters’ Kevin Oklobzija, the 20-year-old was the 14th pick by the Sabres in 2021.  He also had his rookie season in North America last year and acquitted himself well, collecting 14 goals and 23 assists in 66 regular season games before chipping in with eight points in their 12 playoff matches.  Rosen scored the overtime winner last night for Rochester and is their scoring leader with 19 points in 16 games so far.  Unlike Kulich, Rosen is not subject to the nine-game threshold.

Kulich and Rosen are viewed as two of Buffalo’s top prospects.  After starting in the minors together last season, it appears both of them will get a chance to make their NHL debuts together tonight against New Jersey.

Girgensons And Greenway Injured; Recall Likely Coming

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The Sabres are expected to recall a forward later today, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.  They finished yesterday’s victory over Pittsburgh with just ten forwards as center Zemgus Girgensons left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury while winger Jordan Greenway was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury, resulting in Buffalo having to dress seven blueliners.  Notably, the Sabres don’t have any open roster spots – they’re one of the teams carrying three goalies as well – so any recall would require an IR placement or waiver-exempt blueliner Ryan Johnson being sent down to AHL Rochester.

Zach Benson Will Play Tenth NHL Game

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TSN’s Mark Masters has tweeted that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins will play today, making his season debut for the team after he suffered a lower-body injury in a preseason game back on September 29th. Timmins could help fill some of the offensive void left by injured rearguard John Klingberg who was recently put on LTIR. Timmins offensive capabilities were on full display in the preseason when he notched six points in three games and he does have a very similar skillset to that of Klingberg, although the Maple Leafs will be hoping for a different result as Klingberg struggled early in his first season with Toronto.

Timmins benefited greatly from last year’s trade that saw him sent to the Maple Leafs by the Arizona Coyotes. In 25 games with Toronto, Timmins posted two goals and 12 assists while averaging 15 minutes of ice time per game. His puck management left a lot to be desired, but he did talk in the preseason about learning not to force plays with the puck and making better reads.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • The Buffalo News reporter Lance Lysowski tweeted today that Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson skated with the Sabres’ second power-play unit and looks as though he will plan in his tenth NHL game of the season today. Sportsnet later confirmed the news meaning that Benson will see the entry-level contract he signed for three seasons kick in immediately, and it can no longer slide or extend by a year. Benson is one of four players from the 2023 NHL entry draft who is playing in the NHL at the moment, and he has been productive thus far in nine games tallying a goal and four assists.
  • Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweeted that Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has confirmed that star center Aleksander Barkov will return to the lineup tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. Barkov injured his knee last week against the Anaheim Ducks and missed the Panthers last two games. He took his usual spot in the lineup during this morning’s practice centering a line alongside Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart. Barkov’s return will be a welcome sign for the Panthers as the 28-year-old has registered six goals and 11 assists in 16 games this season.

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