The hottest team in the Eastern Conference should be getting a boost to its forward core relatively soon. Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald reported in a recent article that forward Jason Zucker has returned to practice with the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that he’ll return during Buffalo’s upcoming three-game road trip, which begins on Monday.
Zucker, 33, has missed the Sabres’ last seven games with both lower and upper body injuries. Still, given that he may not return until after Buffalo returns from their upcoming road trip, that number may reach 11 games. Fortunately, the Sabres haven’t missed a beat since Zucker exited the lineup, winning all seven games and climbing to two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
In the article, Zucker expressed his frustration with not being included in the team’s recent hot streak, saying, “It’s been terrible watching, but it’s been great to see everyone playing well throughout the lineup.” He remains seventh on the team in scoring with nine goals and 18 points in 21 games, averaging 15:36 of ice time per game.
Other injury notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sabres’ opponent tonight, the Boston Bruins, will be playing somewhat shorthanded up front. The NHL’s Heather Engel shared earlier that forward Tanner Jeannot will miss tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury, and there’s no word on how long he’s expected to miss. Jeannot, who signed a five-year, $17MM contract with the Bruins last summer, has played surprisingly well this season, scoring four goals and 15 points in 38 games while throwing 113 hits.
- In a different Atlantic Division matchup, the Florida Panthers may also be down a regular forward for their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening. Team reporter Jameson Olive noted that Mackie Samoskevich will be a game-time decision. Still, head coach Paul Maurice, via Olive, suggested that Samoskevich is trending toward playing and chose to wait to name a potential replacement.
- Aside from the NHL returning to action tonight, the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships are underway, with games commencing yesterday. Team Czechia, which lost a tightly contested opening matchup to Team Canada, could be getting a boost to its defensive core by the end of the weekend. According to Chris Peters of FloHockey, defenseman Radim Mrtka is expected to return against Team Finland on Monday. Mrtka was drafted with the ninth overall pick last summer by the Sabres and has scored one goal and 16 points in 14 games for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds this year.