Thompson and Luukkonen considered day-to-day, Sabres blueliner out long-term.
The Buffalo Sabres revealed the news of the injuries to center Tage Thompson, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson after practice at Key Bank Center on Wednesday. Thompson and Samuelsson both suffered lower-body injuries in the second period of a 7-5 loss to Montreal on Monday, while Luukkonen was replaced after two periods by Devon Levi.
Head coach Lindy Ruff indicated on Wednesday that Thompson and Luukkonen are considered day-to-day and could be available for the game on Thursday against St. Louis, but did not specify the exact nature of the injuries. Samuelsson, who fell to the ice during a confrontation between teammate Zach Benson and Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky in front of the Buffalo net, is expected to be out long-term.
"(Tage) was evaluated. It just feels (like) a day-to-day thing. So the best thing we could do is to give him the day off," Ruff said. “"(With Samuelsson), it's a long term...and right now it doesn't look like something that it has to be operated on."
The club appears to have dodged a bullet regarding Thompson (who leads the team with 11 goals), as an extended absence would have severely wounded the Sabres' top line and power play. Samuelsson has been dogged by injury his entire career and missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury. Ruff indicated there is no plan to recall a defenseman from AHL Rochester, as the team still has seven healthy blueliners on the roster.
Luukkonen was removed on Monday with what was described as a minor ailment. The Sabres used a fill-in at practice on Wednesday in the starter’s net, while Levi occupied the other net. There is some speculation that the club may reclaim veteran goalie James Reimer (who was placed on waivers on Tuesday) and it is possible that he would serve as the backup if Luukkonen is unable to go on Thursday.
