The Buffalo Sabres practiced at Key Bank Center on Friday before heading out on the road for three straight in four nights, starting with the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
The Sabres are coming their eighth straight defeat; a 3-2 loss to the NY Rangers on Wednesday in the final game of their five-game homestand, and head coach Lindy Ruff put his club through a spirited workout after a day off, but once again they did not have defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on the ice.
The Sabres team captain has not played since the third period of the 5-4 loss to Colorado on December 3 due to back spasms. Ruff said that Dahlin skated on his own prior to practice and that the flare-up of the condition that kept him out to start training camp has improved, but not enough to make a step towards getting back in action.
"You let the doctors and the training staff make those decisions, along with his interaction on how he's feeling. That'll just be as he progresses. Does he feel good? They'll make that decision." Ruff said. “The good part is he's skating and he's getting some conditioning, the hard part is you'd like him to get into practice, but we're not quite there yet.”
Winger Jordan Greenway was also absent from practice on Friday. The big forward returned on Monday after missing over three weeks with a mid-body injury, but according to Ruff, he was dealing with some lingering issues from the injury which may keep him out for the Capitals game.
Injured forward Sam Lafferty did take part in practice and Ruff said that he may be an option for one of the weekend games after missing a couple weeks with a lower-body injury.
