Buffalo Sabres forwards JJ Peterka, Josh Norris and Jiri Kulich will not be in the lineup for Monday’s game against the Boston Bruins, as all three players are dealing with injuries.
Peterka has missed the past two games with the Sabres due to a lower-body injury. It’s unclear as to what caused the injury for the winger, as he played through the entirety of last Monday’s 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, the most recent game he’s played, before being announced as unavailable for Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. While he’s not fit for Monday’s game, he is very close to a return.
Peterka continue to see improvement in his NHL career thus far, as his 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 61 games has already surpassed his previous career high of 50 points set last season. However, that hasn’t stopped the Sabres from viewing him as a moveable asset as they attempt to finally turn things around, as Peterka was one of the players shopped around at this year’s trade deadline.
Like Peterka, there is a lot of mystery surrounding Norris’ injury, if not more due to the fact that it’s undisclosed. Norris had played through most of Wednesday’s loss, but was announced as unavailable for Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s unclear when Norris will return, but him joining the team for the trip is an indication that it should be soon.
Norris was a recent addition to the Sabres lineup, acquired from the Ottawa Senators along with Jacob Bernard-Docker at the trade deadline as part of the return for Dylan Cozens. Norris has 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points in 56 games this season, including 1 goal and 2 points in 3 games with the Sabres.
The Sabres will also be without Jiri Kulich on Monday, who was put in concussion protocol after a hit to the head during Saturday’s win. He did not join the team to Boston, but may join them later on the trip. Kulich has 12 goals and 7 assists for 19 points in 49 games this season.
The Sabres currently have a 26-33-6 record, the fourth-worst in the league. They will look to build off of their win over the Golden Knights when they visit the Bruins on Monday at 7 p.m. EST.
