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Connor Clifton Receives Two-Game Suspension

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12:30 PM: The verdict is in for Clifton and the Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that Clifton has received a two-game suspension.  He’ll be eligible to return on Friday in the back half of a home-and-home set against Philadelphia.  From the video:

Clifton finishes a high, hard check that cuts in front of Hischier’s core making his head the main point of contact on a hit when head contact was avoidable…  If Clifton wants to deliver this hit, Clifton must stay low and choose an angle that hits through Hischier’s shoulder and core, rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact.

9:20 AM: Following a hit that saw him ejected from last night’s game in New Jersey, the league announced that defenseman Connor Clifton will have a disciplinary hearing today.

With just over four minutes remaining in the first period, Clifton hit Devils center Nico Hischier up high near the boards and, after video review, was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head.  That carries an automatic league review and upon that review, they’ve determined to proceed with a hearing.

Hischier missed the rest of the period, came back for the second, but did not return.  Following the game, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters including Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger that they decided to hold out the captain for precautionary reasons and will re-evaluate him today.

The Sabres are back in action on Sunday against Colorado so any suspension, if one is coming, will need to be announced by then.  Clifton has not been suspended previously in his NHL career.

Sabres Recall Devin Cooley; Eric Comrie Out Week-To-Week

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The Sabres have been carrying three goalies on their roster all season long but injuries have struck, resulting in them needing to bring up another one as the team announced that they’ve recalled Devin Cooley from AHL Rochester.

The recall was needed with Eric Comrie exiting yesterday’s game against New Jersey in the second period with a lower-body injury. GM Kevyn Adams told reporters including Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) that Comrie will be out on a week-to-week basis.

Meanwhile, opening night starter Devon Levi has only skated once in the last nine days as he’s dealing with a lower-body issue of his own; Adams indicated that they’re hopeful that he can return to practice on Tuesday.  Buffalo also has veteran third-stringer Dustin Tokarski under contract but he suffered an upper-body injury during training camp that he hasn’t recovered from so Cooley is the next player up.

The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Sabres organization after spending the last three seasons in Nashville’s system.  He has played in four games with the Americans this year, posting a 3.46 GAA with a .903 SV%.  Cooley is set to serve as the backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Buffalo’s next game on Sunday against Colorado.

Eric Comrie Leaves Game Due To Lower-Body Injury

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  • In tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils, the Buffalo Sabres announced that goaltender, Eric Comrie, will not return to the game after suffering a lower-body injury. It is unfortunate news for the Sabres after Comrie has had to start three of the last four games due to an injury from regular starting netminder, Devon Levi. If Comrie is expected to miss a significant amount of time, Buffalo’s third-string goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely see the majority of starts for the foreseeable future.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Buffalo Sabres Assign Matt Savoie To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Buffalo Sabres have sent 2022 eighth-overall pick Matt Savoie to the AHL’s Rochester Americans on a conditioning loan.

Savoie was injured at the team’s prospect tournament and has been on injured reserve to start the season. This loan will allow Savoie to get some games under his belt in the AHL, a league he played two playoff games in at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Savoie, who will turn 20 on January 1st, misses the cut-off for automatic AHL eligibility by just one day. The Sabres have reportedly petitioned the WHL to give Savoie an exemption and allow him to play in the AHL, but while Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright received one such exemption from the OHL, the Sabres have reportedly not been optimistic about Savoie’s odds of receiving one from the WHL.

That reality means that once Savoie’s conditioning assignment has concluded, he’ll in all likelihood be on his way back to the WHL, where he’ll play for the Wenatchee Wild.

The WHL’s Wild have struggled so far this season without Savoie or Zach Benson, who was a surprise addition to the Sabres’ NHL roster to start the season. Savoie scored 95 points in the WHL last year and would be a massive, difference-making addition for Wenatchee.

There’s also always the chance that Savoie ends up called back to the Sabres’ NHL roster, although that possibility becomes more unlikely if Benson maintains his hold on a spot in head coach Don Granato’s lineup.

Levi And Benson Skate But Not Available Tonight

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When Vancouver decided to buy out Oliver Ekman-Larsson this summer, it was the richest buyout in NHL history.  It’s a move the blueliner didn’t see coming as he told Thomas Drance of The Athletic (subscription link) that he was surprised by their decision after his exit meetings and discussions with the team had been focused on his role with the Canucks for the 2023-24 campaign.  Ekman-Larsson elected to take a one-year deal with the Panthers this summer worth $2.5MM and with the injuries to both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, they have leaned on him heavily so far as he is averaging more than 25 minutes a night through Florida’s first four games.  The last time he passed that threshold was back in 2014-15 with Arizona and while it’s unrealistic to think he’ll play that much the entire season, they’re certainly pleased with the early returns so far.

More from the Atlantic:

  • While Devon Levi and Zach Benson took part in Buffalo’s practice today, neither will be in uniform tonight against the Islanders, relays Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Both rookies are listed as day-to-day with lower-body injuries.  Neither have been placed on IR because of the short timelines for a return so they’re not able to bring replacements up from AHL Rochester.  With Levi unavailable, Eric Comrie will make his first start of the season for Buffalo.
  • David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the Canadiens had re-engaged in trade talks around winger Joel Armia last week. The veteran cleared waivers earlier this month and was just recalled earlier today but won’t play tonight against Washington.  Armia has another season after this one left on his contract which carries a $3.4MM AAV.  Accordingly, it stands to reason that any trade involving him will be a swap of overpaid veterans in need of a change of scenery.
  • Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk will be a healthy scratch tonight against Los Angeles, the team announced (Twitter link). The scratching isn’t a performance-based one but rather a disciplinary one as he was late to a team meeting.  The 27-year-old has been held without a point through his first three games of the season, not quite the start he was hoping for in a contract year as he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time next summer.

Buffalo Sabres Zach Benson, Devon Levi Out Day-To-Day

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Two crucial young Buffalo Sabres players are out with lower-body injuries: Zach Benson and Devon Levi. According to the team, both Benson and Levi are considered day-to-day at this stage.

While both injuries could very well be minor and cause only brief absences for each player, the immediate implications of the loss of these two players is significant for the Sabres. Head coach Don Granato’s forward lines have undergone major surgery. Dylan Cozens was moved from second-line center to first-line right winger, Jordan Greenway was also elevated to the first line, and among other changes veteran Victor Olofsson re-entered the regular lineup pitcture  in Benson’s place.

The loss of Benson is somewhat minimized by the fact that the Sabres had Olofsson (who scored 28 goals last year) as a healthy scratch. Their surplus of quality forwards is not mirrored in net, though, where any loss of Levi would be more significant.

Although the team does have a surplus of goalies in terms of numbers, (they are carrying three netminders on their active roster) they do not appear to have a surplus in terms of quality.

Neither Eric Comrie or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have performed exceptionally at the NHL level for the Sabres, and Levi has started all of the Sabres’ games so far this season. This is a season where Buffalo is looking to end the NHL’s longest playoff drought, and their slower-than-expected start has been something of a concern.

With an important rematch against the Islanders coming up tomorrow, the Sabres will have to hope that the lower-body injuries that kept Levi and Benson out of practice today won’t cost them much more than that.

Craig Anderson Returns To Buffalo As Hockey Liaison

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  • The Buffalo Sabres have announced that former goaltender Craig Anderson will return to the Sabres as a hockey liaison. The role will be part-time and see Anderson supporting the team’s players and coaching staff. Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams said, “Craig Anderson’s voice, experience, and love for the game have been invaluable components to our team’s growth over the past two seasons. Our players have benefited greatly from the habits and lessons he picked up during his accomplished 20-year career.”

    [SOURCE LINK]

Mattias Samuelsson Will Not Miss Time With Upper-Body Injury

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The Ottawa Senators are expected to sign free agent netminder Craig Anderson to a one-day contract to officially retire as a Sen, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports Thursday morning. It will likely come Tuesday, October 24, when the Senators host the Sabres, Anderson’s most recent team.

He departed the Sens in free agency in 2020, serving as the Capitals’ taxi squad netminder for the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign before heading to the Sabres for the final two seasons of his 20-year, 709-game career. While there was never an official announcement, it became clear at the end of last season that Anderson would not return for a 21st year. PHR wishes him and his family the best in his post-playing career and looks forward to providing more coverage of Anderson’s career when an official announcement is made.

  • In more positive news, Sabres head coach Don Granato said today that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson has avoided any further absence after leaving Tuesday’s win over the Lightning in the third period and will dress Thursday against the Flames. Samuelsson left the game with an upper-body injury but participated in morning skate today and seems no worse for wear. The 23-year-old is in the first season of a seven-year, $30MM extension signed just over a year ago and leads Sabres defenders with a +2 rating through three contests, adding one assist while averaging over 20 minutes per game.

Samuelsson Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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  • The Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Mattias Samuelsson would sit out the remainder of the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an upper-body injury. Although the Sabres did add defensemen Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson to significantly improve the team’s defense, as far as the ability to shut down the opposing team’s forwards, Samuelsson is one of the best on the team. In the first season of a seven-year, $30MM contract extension signed at the start of last year, it would be a significant hurdle for Buffalo if Samuelsson is set to miss any time beyond tonight.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Victor Olofsson Will Be Healthy Scratch Tuesday, Tyson Jost Enters Lineup

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  • Sabres winger Victor Olofsson will serve as a healthy scratch tonight against the Lightning, head coach Don Granato confirmed Tuesday morning. Tyson Jost, who’s served as a healthy scratch for their first two games of the season, will make his 2023-24 season debut. Olofsson, set to become a free agent next summer, was featured in trade talks this offseason. However, the team held onto him for scoring depth after youngster Jack Quinn sustained an Achilles injury that will keep him out until December. Olofsson is a skilled shooter who’s notched 20 goals in three out of the last four seasons, but his defensive impacts are poor, and his possession numbers are average at best, leading him to become viewed as a power-play specialist. He’s been held off the scoresheet through two contests this season and has a -2 rating, averaging 14:07 per game. 22-year-old Peyton Krebs is projected to fill Olofsson’s vacated spot in the top six, while Jost will slide in at fourth-line center to fill Krebs’ previous role.
  • Islanders head coach Lane Lambert told reporters that defenseman Scott Mayfield is officially out for Tuesday’s contest against the Coyotes. The veteran shutdown man is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot late in last Saturday’s win against the Sabres and did not practice yesterday due to swelling in his leg. Lambert confirmed Samuel Bolduc would replace Mayfield in the lineup and make his season debut. The 2019 second-round pick skated in 17 contests with the Islanders last season, recording two goals and an assist.

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