BUFFALO – A lower-body injury will sideline Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark at least one month, coach Ralph Krueger said.
Ullmark, who has started 12 of the Sabres’ 17 games, left Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils after the first period.
“It’s a hard hit, it’s a heavy hit,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said on a Zoom call this morning. “The best case we’ll get him back in a month. So a huge loss at this point in our season, especially coming off the tail end of that New Jersey game, which was clearly his strongest performance of the season.”
Carter Hutton will start this afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center. The Sabres recalled Jonas Johansson from the taxi squad this afternoon to back him up.
Ullmark has compiled a 5-4-2 record this season with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. The Swede made 41 saves in Tuesday’s 4-1 win in New Jersey.
Could the Sabres start looking for another goalie?
Johansson, a strong prospect, has played one period in the last 50 weeks. Taxi-squad goalie Dustin Tokarski, a decorated AHL goalie, has played two games with the Rochester Americans this season. He hasn’t played an NHL contest since 2016-17.
“The solutions off of Linus’ injury, right now it’s get through this weekend, it’s step back and analyze, and then move forward with a strategy,” Krueger said. “Right now, we’re looking forward to a good weekend with Carter Hutton. He had some strong games against Philadelphia back-to-back earlier in the season when we needed them, and that’s our full focus and we’ll come back to you with the strategic side of things after the weekend.”
In other lineup news, Krueger said winger Jeff Skinner will play this afternoon, ending his three-game benching. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who has missed seven games after battling COVID-19, and winger Tobias Rieder will also return against the Flyers.
Kruger said captain Jack Eichel is still day to day with a lower-body injury.
The Sabres have also sent winger Rasmus Asplund back to the taxi squad
This could be the worst year ever even though they may be a marginally better team. A sad and depressing time to be a Sabre fan. Do away with new uniforms. Do away with all uniforms for that matter
Let’s hope the Pegulas do not blame Ralph Krueger for our horrendous play and injuries…he does not exactly have Bobby Orr, Yvan Courneyer, Davey Keon, Gilbert Perreault, Marcelle Dionne, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Larry Playfair to send out onto the ice.