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Dylan Cozens Out Day-To-Day

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Mike Harrington of Buffalo News Sports is reporting that Buffalo Sabres’ forward, Dylan Cozens, will not play tonight and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Although no other specifics were given, it is likely due to the fight Cozens engaged in against Philadelphia Flyers’ forward, Garnet Hathaway, at the end of the game last night.

Playing in the first year of a seven-year, $49.7MM extension signed with the organization last year, Cozens has gotten off to a solid offensive start for the Sabres. In 11 games played up to this point, Cozens has scored three goals and four assists, coupled with a solid 61.4 CF%.

His play on the defensive side of the puck has left a little to be desired to start the year, but Cozens has never been a particularly solid defensive option down the middle of the ice. However, even after an individually strong start to this season, Buffalo has not gotten off to the start they were expecting, and Cozens showed visible frustration in last night’s loss to the Flyers.

In their first 11 games, the Sabres are carrying a 5-6-0 record into tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, primarily due to some inconsistencies within the high-danger moments of the game. To start the year, Buffalo has only converted on 6.9% of their high-danger scoring chances, while their opponents have executed on those high-danger scoring chances at a rate of 13.8% of the time.

Sabres Place Mattias Samuelsson On IR, Recall Ryan Johnson

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Mattias Samuelsson’s lower-body injury from last night’s game against Philadelphia will keep him out for at least a week as he has been placed on injured reserve.  Taking his place on the roster will be Ryan Johnson who has been recalled per the AHL’s transactions log.

Samuelsson was averaging over 21 minutes a night heading into last night’s game (third among Sabres blueliners) while being a key cog on Buffalo’s penalty kill.  He has a goal and two assists plus 25 hits and 25 blocks through his first 11 games of the season and his absence will certainly be notable inside their top four.  The 23-year-old is in the first season of a seven-year, $30MM contract that was signed a little over a year ago when he had less than 60 games of NHL experience under his belt.

As for Johnson, he is in his first professional season after wrapping up his college career last year at the University of Minnesota.  He had 18 points in 40 games for the Golden Gophers, giving him 59 points in 143 contests over his four seasons there.

The 2019 first-round pick is off to a decent start with AHL Rochester, notching four assists in his first nine games and now has a chance to get his first taste of NHL action.  If he doesn’t take Samuelsson’s spot in the lineup, Jacob Bryson would be next in line after being healthy scratched on Friday.

Sabres Notes: Savoie, Olofsson, Samuelsson, Levi

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With Matthew Savoie’s conditioning stint coming to an end shortly, the Sabres will have a decision to make with the young forward.  Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News suggests that Buffalo will promote the 19-year-old and start his nine-game stint, delaying his likely return to junior.  Savoie is doing well in the minors with five points in as many games but is ineligible to play there full-time this season.

However, they’ll need to open up a roster spot to do so.  While returning Lukas Rousek to AHL Rochester is the easiest option, Harrington proposes that waiving Victor Olofsson might make more sense.  With a $4.75MM cap hit, he’s a lock to pass through unclaimed, allowing the Sabres an opportunity to give Rousek (who is part of their future) a longer look.  Olofsson has been scratched in five games so far this season and has been held without a point in the six contests he has played in.

More from Buffalo:

  • The team announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson suffered a lower-body injury in the first period of last night’s loss to Philadelphia; head coach Don Granato didn’t have an update on his status post-game. The 23-year-old has been his usual steady self in the early going this season, notching three points along with 25 hits and 25 blocks in his first eleven appearances while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per night before Friday’s contest.  If he’s going to be out for a while, an IR placement would also open a roster spot for Savoie’s promotion although it’d leave the Sabres with only six healthy blueliners.
  • Goaltender Devon Levi is expected to start tonight against Toronto, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 21-year-old has missed a little over two weeks with a lower-body injury.  Levi had gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, posting a 3.26 GAA with a .892 SV% in his first four appearances.  Buffalo never moved Levi to IR during the injury so no corresponding roster move needs to be made.

Sabres Recall Lukáš Rousek, Place Zach Benson On IR

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Nov. 3: Buffalo has now moved Benson to IR to accommodate Rousek making his 2023-24 Sabres debut tonight against Philadelphia, Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report notes.

Nov. 2: The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Lukáš Rousek from the AHL’s Rochester Americans, per a team announcement Thursday.

Buffalo currently has a full 23-man roster, so a corresponding transaction needs to be made along with the recall. This will likely be moving rookie winger Zach Benson to IR. The 18-year-old is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury and missed the team’s last contest, a Wednesday night win against the Flyers.

The Sabres are slated for a rematch with the Flyers at home on Friday. Rousek, 24, could be an option to slide into the lineup if winger Alex Tuch is unavailable to play. He was absent from practice today due to a maintenance day, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports. The team also has Swedish winger Victor Olofsson available, although he’s been a healthy scratch in four out of ten games this season and remains without a point in 2023-24.

This is the fourth NHL call-up for Rousek, who was brought up three times on emergency and standard recalls near the end of last season. He made two appearances, notching a goal and an assist on three shots and a +2 rating. A sixth-round pick of the Sabres in 2019, Rousek is off to another strong start with AHL Rochester after posting strong totals in his first full minor-league campaign last year. He’s notched two goals and four assists for six points and a -3 rating in eight games this season, including a multi-point effort against Laval last week.

Morning Notes: Pysyk, Clifton, Zub

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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL have signed defenseman Mark Pysyk to a professional try-out. Pysyk is a 521-game veteran of the NHL, most recently playing for the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021-22 season.

Pysyk scored 12 points in the 68 games he was awarded in 2021-22, six points shy of his career-high in scoring. He set that career-high with the 2019-20 Florida Panthers, reaching 18 points in 58 games. It speaks to the modest career that Pysyk had, with much of his value being provided on the defensive side of the puck. How Pysyk will be utilized on his newly-signed PTO is up in the air but if he plays AHL games, it will be his first experience in the league since 2015-16. It will also be his first time playing with a minor league club other than the Rochester Americans, whom Pysyk totaled 145 games with throughout the early stages of his career.

Other notes from around the league:

Buffalo Sabres Zach Benson Out Week-To-Week With Injury

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The Buffalo Sabres have announced that rookie forward Zach Benson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Benson has played six games so far this season, recording two points and a -1.

Zach Benson has become a name to follow through the early season, wowing at training camp after going 14th overall in the most recent NHL Draft. His early jump to the NHL has surprised many, and Benson’s statistical profile may speak to the need for a little more time in the oven. He’s currently carrying a 43.44 CF% and 50.0 xGF% – modest numbers that certainly aren’t bad for an 18-year-old but are enough to make an NHL team look in another direction. The Sabres have three more free games of Benson before they’re faced with the decision of spending a contract year or not. If they decide he’s better off getting some more development time, he’ll be sent back to the Wenatchee Wild of the WHL, where teammate Matthew Savoie will play after his AHL conditioning stint.

The Sabres recalled undrafted forward Brandon Biro to the NHL in response to Benson’s injury. Biro will likely become the team’s extra forward, as Tyson Jost slots in to fill Benson’s role. Jost has played in six games so far this season, tallying two points, split evenly. Jost is in his first full season with the Sabres, after joining them partway through the 2022-23 campaign. He netted 22 points in 59 games with Buffalo last year.

The news of Benson’s injury is a tough blow for a Sabres lineup looking to elevate their young talent. It could also have negative implications on Benson’s case to stay in the NHL, as he’ll be fighting to both return to form after injury and keep an NHL roster spot when he returns to play.

Sabres Recall Brandon Biro

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11:30 AM: Buffalo head coach Don Granato has announced that Biro will play in the team’s Wednesday matchup. This announcement comes in light of Zach Benson’s week-to-week injury.

9:30 AM: The Buffalo Sabres have recalled winger Brandon Biro to the NHL. Biro has spent the beginning of the season in the AHL, where he’s scored six points in five games. He’s one of six Rochester Americans currently scoring above a point-per-game pace, with top U20 prospects Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich co-leading the team in scoring, both sat with nine points in seven games.

The Sabers signed Biro as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of Penn State’s 2019-20 season, making his professional debut in the following year. He scored five points in 15 games in his first AHL season, following it up with a more prominent 41 points in 48 games in 2021-22. That was the same year that Biro received his first NHL recall, making his NHL debut but failing to appear in any more games. Biro was sent back to the minor leagues and continued to establish himself as one of Rochester’s top scorers.

Buffalo has operated with a relatively consistent forward group, with only two players – Zach Benson and Victor Olofsson – not appearing in all nine of the team’s games so far. The former was held out by injury and the latter by a healthy scratching, with Tyson Jost cycling in when either has missed time. Biro joins Jost as the only extra skaters that Buffalo is carrying while Connor Clifton serves a two-game suspension. With such a consistent forward group, it’s more likely that Biro’s recall is to provide additional depth rather than looking for an additional roster player. But if Biro does get to slot in, he’ll have a chance to play in just his second NHL game and search for his first NHL point.

Atlantic Notes: Vasilevskiy, Motte, Cooley

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Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy skated briefly with the team for the first time as he works his way back from back surgery, relays Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times.  The netminder joined the team with about ten minutes left in practice but head coach Jon Cooper was quick to point out that this isn’t a sign that his recovery is ahead of schedule.  At the time of the surgery back in late September, Vasilevskiy was expected to miss eight to ten weeks so he’s still at least a month away from returning.  While many expected Tampa Bay to make a move to shore things up between the pipes, Jonas Johansson has fared rather well in the early going this season, notching a 2.56 GAA and a .925 SV% along with two shutouts in his first seven starts.  If he can keep that up a bit longer, they might be able to get away without adding another goalie after all.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Also from Ackert’s column, winger Tyler Motte took part in his second straight practice as he works his way back from an upper-body injury sustained in the season opener. The 28-year-old was a late signing after Josh Archibald decided not to play this season despite inking a two-year deal with the Lightning back in July.  Motte is hoping to accompany the club on their upcoming road trip that begins on Thursday in Columbus so it appears he could be back in the lineup in the near future.
  • Following their victory over Colorado today, the Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they have returned goaltender Devin Cooley to AHL Rochester. The 26-year-old was brought up yesterday with Eric Comrie going on IR yesterday and Devon Levi not yet ready to return.  As Levi remains on the active roster, Buffalo can send Cooley down.  They’re off until Wednesday so if Levi still isn’t available then, expect Cooley to be recalled at that time.

Sabres Officially Move Eric Comrie To Injured Reserve

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The Buffalo Sabres have placed goaltender Eric Comrie on injured reserve. General manager Kevyn Adams said that the netminder is likely going to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury.

Comrie’s injury has coincided with an injury to promising rookie goalie Devon Levi, leaving Buffalo without their top two options. The team has turned towards Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devin Cooley in their absence. Luukkonen has recorded a 1-1 record in two starts as the team’s newfound starter, setting a .881 save percentage and 4.83 goals-against-average. Cooley has yet to slot into the starter’s net but will be playing in his NHL debut whenever he gets the chance. Cooley was an undrafted free agent that operated as the backup to Yaroslav Askarov for the Milwaukee Admirals last season. He set a .909 save percentage in 26 games throughout the year – his second full AHL season. Now in the Sabres system, Cooley appeared in four games for the Rochester Americans this season, winning all four games with a .903 save percentage.

Buffalo will undoubtedly anticipate the return of Levi, who has recorded a .892 save percentage and a 1-3-0 record through four games this season. The quartet of games brings him to just 11 career NHL games between this season and last. He has a .901 save percentage through those 11 games and was anticipated to enter the season as the clear-cut starter. But the 21-year-old Levi is facing stark competition in Comrie, who has played in three games and set a .914 save percentage so far this season.

Levi, who is considered day-to-day with injury, will have a clear runway upon his return with Comrie now out of action. But how the duo vies for starts when both are fully healthy should be exciting to see. Either Buffalo will continue with the hot hand of Comrie, who has lost twice despite strong stats, or they’ll further empower the young and promising Levi. Either way, the Sabres are certainly due for better days in net once these injuries clear up.

Erik Johnson Had Several Suitors In Free Agency

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Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson told Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription link) that there were three or four other teams that had “intense talks” about a contract for him this summer with his former team in Colorado not being among those once the bidding started to go up.  The 35-year-old inked a one-year, $3.25MM deal of the opening day of free agency, a surprising price tag for someone who had just eight assists in 63 games last season.  Johnson already has a goal with his new team but is logging a career-low 15:13 per night this season.

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