The Sabres are getting close to getting a couple of players back in the lineup. Team reporter Justin Alpert relays that winger Jordan Greenway and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson both took part in practice today in regular (contact) jerseys after previously being limited to non-contact drills. Greenway has been out for nearly three weeks due to a middle-body injury and has three goals and three assists through 16 games so far. As for Samuelsson, he last played nearly four weeks ago due to a lower-body issue. It has been a struggle for him this season as his playing time is down by more than four minutes a night while also briefly spending time as a healthy scratch. Both players probably aren’t going to be ready for Saturday’s game versus Utah but they should be back soon after that.
Elsewhere in the East:
- It turns out that Victor Mancini isn’t the only blueliner that the Rangers will bring up today. The team announced (Twitter link) that Matthew Robertson has been recalled from AHL Hartford. The 23-year-old has yet to play at the NHL level but is off to a good start with the Wolf Pack this season, collecting eight points in 19 games so far. He’s expected to serve as the seventh defender for the time being with recently acquired rearguard Urho Vaakanainen still out with an upper-body injury.
- A day after papering them to the minors, the Bruins have recalled forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle from Providence, per the AHL’s transactions log. The move has been made frequently with both players as Boston attempts to bank some extra cap space to utilize later in the season. McLaughlin has been held off the scoresheet in four games with the big club while Oesterle has three assists in his first six NHL games this season.