Sabres’ Josh Norris Out Day-To-Day, Noah Ostlund Returning
The Sabres won’t have center Joshua Norris available tonight for Game 3 of their first-round series against the Bruins, head coach Lindy Ruff said (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). He’s day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. It’s not all bad, as they’ll be getting Noah Ostlund back from injury, with this morning’s line rushes indicating he’s slotting directly in for Norris as their third-line center (via Hamilton).
Norris didn’t appear to sustain anything major in Game 2. Ruff was non-specific when speaking on his ailment today, only saying that he’s “not feeling right” (via Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News).
The oft-injured 26-year-old shouldered a full workload through the first two games of the series, which were also the first of his playoff career. He averaged 16:36 per game and recorded six hits, although he was rendered pointless and had a -1 rating.
Still, it’s a notable loss. Buffalo won the possession battle handily with Norris on the ice at 5-on-5, controlling 61.1% of shot attempts. He’s also been above water in the faceoff department, winning 53.1% of his draws for a team that’s struggled heavily there to begin the series.
In the regular season, Norris had 34 points in 44 games. He missed nearly half the season with various upper-body issues that were unrelated to his previous shoulder injuries, but his 0.77 points per game were fourth on the team. Having that kind of production ceiling from a third-line center is a luxury the Sabres have reaped the rewards of this season en route to finishing fifth in the league in goals, although they’re only averaging three per game in their small playoff sample this far.
The Sabres would certainly prefer to reincorporate Ostlund without taking a name of Norris’ caliber out to make room, but they’ll gladly welcome him back nonetheless. The 2022 first-round pick had a solid rookie campaign after an early-season call-up from AHL Rochester, finishing the year with 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games.
It has been nearly a month since Ostlund played, though. He sustained an upper-body injury against Boston back on March 25 and was initially labeled day-to-day, but it stretched into something longer.
A natural center, Buffalo has preferred to deploy Ostlund on the wing for much of the year. Norris’ injury will obviously force him back to the middle, but his struggles on faceoffs – he won just 31.5% of them in the regular season – are certainly cause for concern given the circumstances. There are also some red flags about playing the skilled and smart Ostlund in a high-leverage role in what’s been an incredibly physical series thus far. He’s smallish at 5’11” and 180 lbs and plays like it; he only had five hits total in the regular season. Buffalo has already totaled 83 of them through Games 1 and 2.
Evening Notes: Kleven, Tippett, Ostlund
Defenseman Tyler Kleven is continuing to progress in his recovery from an upper-body injury sustained in April 2nd’s win over the Buffalo Sabres. He has now taken two practices with full contact and a face-guard and could be back in the lineup soon. Despite that, head coach Travis Green would neither confirm nor deny if Kleven was an option for Thursday’s Game 3 per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. Meanwhile, Artem Zub remains out of practice since sustaining what appeared to be a lower-body injury in Saturday’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Green did not have an update on Zub’s availability either per Sportscenter’s Claire Hanna.
It seems Ottawa will be forced to roll out the same blue-line that led them to a double-overtime loss on Monday. That will mean heavy minutes for usual stars Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, as well as rising depth defender Jordan Spence who has taken over top-four duties in Zub’s absence. Nikolas Matinpalo should also stay up the lineup, though the Senators could rotate him with Lassi Thomson and Dennis Gilbert. Sanderson is the only Senators’ defenseman to score so far this postseason. He has two assists in as many games. So long as he can continue to elevate the blue-line, Ottawa stands a chance of hanging on against the Hurricanes.
Other notes from around the league:
- Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett missed the team’s Wednesday practice to nurse an injury that he has been playing through, head coach Rick Tocchet told NBCS’ Jordan Hall. He is expected to suit up for Wednesday’s Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins despite the injury. Tippett has one assist in two playoff games so far, while Philadelphia holds a 2-0 lead over the Penguins. He should continue to line up next to Tyson Foerster and Trevor Zegras, maintaining a trio that has proven explosive in the early postseason.
- Buffalo Sabres rookie center Noah Ostlund could return to the lineup in Thursday night’s Game 3 against the Boston Bruins per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. Ostlund has not played since sustaining an injury in Buffalo’s March 25th matchup – an overtime loss to the Bruins. The rookie emerged as a reliable, fourth-line center for Buffalo. He played through his first NHL season and racked up 11 goals and 27 points in 60 games, to go with 10 points in seven AHL games. He should take on a fourth-line role over one of Beck Malenstyn, Joshua Dunne, or Jordan Greenway if and when he returns to full health. The decision of who to pull out of the lineup will be a delicate one for Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, as the fourth-line has currently brought a lot of physicality to a hard-nosed matchup. Ostlund is still adjusting to NHL physicality and will be making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut when he makes it back into the lineup.
Atlantic Notes: Stolarz, Holinka, Lightning, Ostlund
The Maple Leafs are shutting down goaltender Anthony Stolarz for the final few games of their season after he was injured on Wednesday against Washington, relays David Alter of The Hockey News. On top of that, head coach Craig Berube noted that while surgery isn’t required, the injury could ultimately affect Stolarz’s offseason training plans, which suggests this isn’t a minor issue. After a breakout effort last season that netted him a four-year, $15MM extension in the preseason, it has been a rough year for Stolarz in 2025-26. Injuries have limited him to just 26 appearances while he hasn’t been particularly sharp, putting up a 3.28 GAA and a .893 SV% after having the highest SV% in the NHL in the previous two seasons. Now, it looks like his offseason training could be impacted, adding one more negative note to a year that has had plenty.
More from the Atlantic:
- Still with the Maple Leafs, the AHL Marlies announced (Twitter link) that forward Miroslav Holinka is joining the team. The 20-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Toronto back in 2024 and is coming off a very productive junior season with WHL Edmonton. Holinka played in 59 games with the Oil Kings during the regular season, notching 37 goals and 43 assists, good for second on the team in scoring. He was even more productive in their first-round playoff loss, tallying seven goals and four assists in seven games. Eligible to play full-time with the Marlies next season, Holinka will now get an early taste of the pros.
- While the Lightning welcomed back Brandon Hagel this afternoon versus Boston, they were without a pair of other regulars. Team reporter Benjamin Pierce relayed (Twitter link) that center Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Darren Raddysh are out with day-to-day injuries. Girgensons was limited after blocking a shot on Thursday in Montreal while Raddysh’s injury is a little harder to pin down after he scored the game-tying goal late in that one. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be any concern about their playoff availability.
- The Sabres are hopeful that center Noah Ostlund will be ready to return for the playoffs, notes Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). He has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury; head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that the 22-year-old is skating daily and that it’s a pain management issue at this point. Ostlund has 11 goals and 16 assists in 60 games for Buffalo this season and should slot back into a bottom-six spot once he’s cleared to return to the lineup.
East Notes: Ostlund, Voronkov, Gostisbehere
The Buffalo Sabres may be without one of their up-and-coming players for some time. According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, Noah Ostlund‘s upper-body injury is expected to take some time to recover from.
Fortunately, the Sabres can afford to give Ostlund all the time he needs. Although the team hasn’t technically qualified for the postseason yet, MoneyPuck gives Buffalo a 99.94% chance of making the postseason, which is essentially a lock. All that matters now is where they’ll finish.
Like many of his teammates, Ostlund has had a quality 2025-26 campaign. Throughout his second season, the former 16th-overall pick has scored 16 goals and 27 points in 60 games, averaging 13:58 of ice time per game.
Additional notes from the Eastern Conference:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t exit the ice tonight with just a regulation loss. Before the conclusion of the game, the Blue Jackets announced that winger Dmitri Voronkov had left the game with an upper-body injury. Before leaving the game with an injury, Voronkov registered 4:03 of ice time in seven shifts, adding one blocked shot and two hits.
- Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was welcomed back to the Carolina Hurricanes tonight after missing the last nine games with a lower-body injury. The offensive blueliner picked up right where he left off, scoring one goal and two points tonight with a +1 rating, accruing 17:42 of ice time.
Sabres Recall Noah Ostlund, Assign Trevor Kuntar To AHL
Trevor Kuntar’s first NHL stint was short-lived. After his minor league deal was converted to an NHL pact back on Wednesday, his time in Buffalo is up for now as the team announced that they’ve assigned him to AHL Rochester and recalled center Noah Ostlund.
Ostlund has spent the bulk of the season up with Buffalo but with the team needing a seventh defenseman earlier in the week, he was the odd player out with his waiver exemption allowing for a quick solution. The 21-year-old has played in 20 games with the Sabres this season, picking up three goals and three assists while averaging 12:45 of ice time per contest. Ostlund has also gotten into seven games with the Amerks, collecting three goals and seven assists; three of those points came in his game on Wednesday, a mandatory outing before he could become recall-eligible again.
Kuntar is in his first season in Buffalo’s organization after coming over as an unrestricted free agent following his being non-tendered by Boston in June. The 24-year-old leads Rochester in goals this season with nine while also chipping in with four assists in 24 appearances. He made his NHL debut on Thursday, playing 5:12. Now that he’s on an NHL deal, there should be an opportunity for him to come back at some point later in the season whenever injuries arise.
Sabres Recall Zach Metsa, Reassign Noah Ostlund
The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Metsa was reassigned last Monday. He played in three games with Rochester last week and recorded two points, one penalty, and a plus-two.
Metsa played in the first four NHL games of his career earlier this season. He hasn’t found a scoresheet yet, other than one penalty, but has recorded a plus-three. Metsa has been a much more electric piece for Rochester. He has 13 points in 14 games with the Americans, good for second on the blue-line in scoring behind Zac Jones’ 20 points in 20 games.
Metsa, 27, is emerging as a potential NHL option after two strong AHL seasons to start his career. He joined Rochester as an undrafted free agent in 2022-23, after five years at Quinnipiac University, where he won one NCAA National Championship. Metsa had a quiet first year – with just 28 points in his first 72 AHL games. That preluded a true breakout last season. He recorded 49 points in 77 games, including playoffs, last season. That led Rochester’s defense in scoring and ranked third on the team overall. He has kept up the hot scoring through this season, helping to cement his spot on top of Buffalo’s call-up sheet over the more experienced Jones.
To make room for Metsa’s recall, Buffalo has also loaned center Noah Ostlund back to the AHL. The second-year pro has been Metsa’s counterpart on offense, bouncing between the NHL and AHL lineup for much of the year. He has seven points in six AHL games and six poinst in 20 NHL games. It’s the first scoring of his NHL career, after he failed to produce in the first eight games of his career last season. Ostlund will look to rediscover his offensive production with a return to the Americans, after only posting one assist in his last nine games with Buffalo.
Sabres Recall Noah Ostlund
The Sabres announced the recall of center Noah Ostlund from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Buffalo does not have an open roster spot, but placed winger Jason Zucker on injured reserve in a corresponding move, per the NHL’s media portal. He’s expected to miss tonight’s game against the Mammoth due to an illness, but the IR placement rules him out for another two games after this one.
It’s the second recall in recent succession for the 21-year-old Ostlund. A first-round pick out of Sweden’s Djurgården in 2022, he still ranked as the Sabres’ No. 3 prospect entering the season. He’s an undersized but extremely cerebral pivot who demonstrated high-end two-way acumen against professionals in his home country. He made the jump to North America last year and has played primarily with Rochester since then, but has gotten a handful of NHL chances – including an 11-day call-up last month.
Ostlund has arguably been the Amerks’ best forward since his arrival. He put together a 19-17–36 line in 45 games last season, along with a +20 rating that led Rochester forwards. The defensive play hasn’t quite been at that level so far in 2025-26, but he’s been a scorching hot playmaker, rattling off a pair of goals and five assists for seven points through his first six minor-league games.
He’s fallen victim to limited ice time and role when given NHL call-ups, though. In 12 career appearances, he’s averaged just 10:50 per game and is still looking for his first career point. His defensive impacts haven’t yet translated, either. That was particularly true during last month’s recall, when Ostlund controlled just 41.3% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 despite starting 75% of his shifts in the offensive zone. He’s struggled in the faceoff dot, too, going 36% on draws.
He’ll nonetheless get another chance here to squeeze into a role as Buffalo’s forward group is decimated by injuries. Not only will Kulich be unavailable tonight, but they’re also expected to be without center Jiri Kulich as he deals with an undisclosed injury. That’s on top of the four forwards they already had on injured reserve before today, a list that includes a pair of top-six names in Zach Benson and Joshua Norris. As such, Buffalo’s lineup card will be submitted tonight without five of its top 12 forwards on the organizational depth chart.
Sabres To Activate Jordan Greenway
The Sabres are activating forward Jordan Greenway from injured reserve as he makes his season debut tonight against the Bruins, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed (via Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550). Center Noah Ostlund is being returned to AHL Rochester in the corresponding move.
It’s now been more than a seven-month absence for Greenway. His 2024-25 season ended a few weeks early due to a lower-body injury, and he then had follow-up surgery on a previous core muscle injury over the offseason. He underwent that procedure in mid-July, causing him to miss training camp and now nearly the first month of 2025-26.
The 28-year-old will be making his return to the lineup in an unfamiliar position. He’s expected to center a line between Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn, Ruff said yesterday. While Greenway played a bit of center in his junior/college days, it’s not a position he’s logged any significant time at in the NHL. He’s never taken more than 100 faceoffs in a season and hasn’t played a single game down the middle for Buffalo since the Sabres acquired him from the Wild at the 2023 trade deadline.
Greenway is kicking off his ninth season in the league, but has been hampered by injuries for much of his career. He only ever cracked the 70-game mark during his rookie season despite playing a key checking role as a top-nine forward for both Minnesota and Buffalo, essentially from the jump. Last year was one to forget expeditiously for the 6’6″ forward. Multiple injuries limited him to only 34 appearances and his two-way effectiveness was reduced, only notching eight points with a -4 rating. He still managed 100 hits, his fourth straight year at or above the mark, despite the limited time.
Those injury concerns also didn’t stop the Sabres from giving Greenway some security. He inked a two-year, $8MM deal with trade protection back in March to keep him around through the 2026-27 campaign.
With Greenway and defenseman Michael Kesselring coming off IR in the past few days, the Sabres are the healthiest they’ve been all season. They don’t have any defensemen on injured reserve and their total IR count is down to three with Joshua Norris, Justin Danforth, and Tyson Kozak still on the list.
Meanwhile, Ostlund’s first recall of the season ends after 11 days. The 2022 first-round pick slotted into the lineup four times during his summons, but his usage wasn’t tangibly different from the limited minutes he got in an eight-game recall last season. He’s still looking for his first NHL point, although he did show marked improvement defensively. He managed an even rating and 51.4 xGF% at even strength compared to his -6 rating and 37.1 xGF% last year. He was off to a hot start in Rochester with a goal and four assists through four games and will look to pick that back up in the coming days.
Sabres Recall Zac Jones, Noah Ostlund
The Sabres have recalled defenseman Zachary Jones and center Noah Ostlund from AHL Rochester, per a team release. They already had one open roster spot, and they’ve placed winger Beck Malenstyn on injured reserve to open up the other one, according to the NHL’s media site.
Buffalo now has two options to insert into the lineup for tomorrow’s game on the blue line. It’s looking like they won’t have Jacob Bryson available after he exited yesterday’s win over the Panthers and entered concussion protocol. Zach Metsa was already on hand as a healthy extra after being summoned from Rochester earlier in the week. Whether he or Jones enters the lineup for Bryson, a lefty who was assuming third-pairing duties on his off side next to Mattias Samuelsson, remains to be seen.
It will be either player’s Sabres debut and a potential NHL debut for Metsa. As for Jones, the 25-year-old successfully cleared waivers during training camp after inking a rather rich two-way deal ($900K NHL/$550K AHL with Buffalo on July 1. He was an unrestricted free agent after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Rangers, where he’d spent the first five years of his NHL career. The 5’11” lefty was a third-round pick in 2019 and showed decent offensive promise in depth roles for New York, but was never able to elevate himself on their depth chart.
Jones is coming off something of a career year, notching a 1-10–11 scoring line in 46 appearances for the Blueshirts while averaging 17:15 of ice time per game. He was still a semi-frequent healthy scratch, though, no doubt due to a lack of physicality and poor possession impacts. He’s averaged 0.58 hits per game throughout his 115-game NHL career and has had negative relative Corsi shares at even strength in all five of his seasons at the top level. Last year’s possession numbers were particularly underwhelming at a 48.6 CF% and 44.2 xGF%, both below team averages.
That lack of two-way acumen, plus his above-league-minimum cap hit, were contributing factors to him clearing waivers. He’s off to a hot start in the minors, though, rattling off four assists through four games for Rochester – albeit with a -4 rating. Him and Metsa carry similar profiles, both in size and minor-league offensive production, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Buffalo opt for Jones, who has more NHL experience, as they try to extend their win streak to three and get to .500 on the season.
Ostlund’s recall ensures the Sabres will continue to carry 13 healthy forwards, with Malenstyn evidently getting banged up in the win against Florida. The team hasn’t offered an announcement on Malenstyn’s status. He didn’t see a shift in the last 10 minutes of Saturday’s win. The IR placement rules him out for Buffalo’s next three games. He’ll be eligible to return a week from his initial injury, making him available for activation on Oct. 25 against the Maple Leafs for the second half of their back-to-back. Malenstyn had no points and a -2 rating through his first five games, averaging 9:52 of ice time per night.
The Sabres also have Joshua Dunne on hand to insert into the lineup after he was scratched against Florida, so Ostlund isn’t a guarantee to make his season debut tomorrow. The 2022 first-round pick made his NHL debut last year, going pointless in an eight-game run late in the year with a -6 rating. He’s had more inspiring performances in Rochester, where he ranks second on the team in scoring with a goal and four assists through four games. The 21-year-old Swede also had 36 points in 45 AHL contests last season, his first in North America.
While there’s been recent on-ice momentum for the Sabres, it’s still been a disastrous start to the campaign for them in the injury department. Malenstyn joins Justin Danforth, Jordan Greenway, Michael Kesselring, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Joshua Norris on IR.
Snapshots: Vlasic, Ostlund, Sabourin, McCormick
Although he was cut in the leg in a collision on Sunday, it appears the Blackhawks got about the best-case scenario when it comes to defenseman Alex Vlasic. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that while the blueliner won’t play in Chicago’s remaining three preseason games, he’s on track to be ready for the start of the regular season next week. The 24-year-old was a top-pairing player for the Blackhawks last season, notching a career-high 30 points while playing in every game and logging over 23 minutes per contest for the first time in his career. They’ll be counting on him to play a similar role this season.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Sabres center Noah Ostlund is listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 21-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into eight games with Buffalo while notching 19 goals and 17 assists in 45 games with AHL Rochester. Ostlund will likely be ticketed for a return to the Americans upon being cleared to return. If that doesn’t happen before the start of the regular season, the Sabres will carry a small pro-rated cap charge relative to the number of days that Ostlund was on Buffalo’s roster last season.
- The Lightning announced that they have recalled winger Scott Sabourin from AHL Syracuse. Cut earlier this month, he’ll now get a chance to skate in another preseason game or two and stake his case for a possible in-season recall. Signed to a one-year, two-way deal this summer, the 33-year-old had 25 points and 111 penalty minutes while playing with San Jose’s AHL affiliate last season and has 47 career NHL appearances under his belt. Any time spent on the roster for the rest of the preseason won’t affect his waiver exemption which is 10 games or 30 days during the regular season.
- Veteran center Max McCormick’s season is over before it even began. AHL Coachella Valley, affiliate of the Kraken, announced that the 33-year-old will undergo hip surgery and that he is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season as a result. McCormick was limited to just 19 games with the Firebirds last season where he had 13 points. He’s in the final season of a two-year pact with Seattle and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.