BUFFALO – Expect to see rookie forward Noah Ostlund return from his upper-body injury during the Sabres’ first-round series against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Ostlund, 22, practiced as an extra Saturday, his first session since going down March 25 late in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.
The best-of-seven series starts Sunday at KeyBank Center.
“We’re going to get him involved a little bit in physical contact and see where he’s at,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said following Saturday’s session. “He has been skating. We’ve just been trying to get him to that next level. Today was that next level. We’ll see how he feels after taking faceoffs, being involved in practice.
“Definitely a possibility. I don’t know for Game 1, but he is right there knocking on the door.”
Ostlund emerged as one of the Sabres’ biggest surprises this season, registering 11 goals, 27 points and a plus-11 rating in 60 games after beginning the campaign with the Rochester Americans.
The Swede said he experienced “a long couple weeks” on the sideline.
“I felt good today,” he said.
In other injury news, goalie Alex Lyon, who missed the last five games with a muscle strain, also practiced Saturday.
Ruff said Lyon and goalie Colten Ellis, who’s day to day with what Ruff called “maintenance” and did not practice Saturday, will both be available against the Bruins.
“I feel really good – physically, mentally,” Lyon said. “Just kind of a weird thing, honestly. I’ve never really experienced it or been with anybody that’s experienced it. So didn’t really know – a little bit confusing at first, but kind of when you started to get into the next few days, it started to feel better and better every day.”
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On Saturday, 6-foot-4, 208-pound Josh Dunne centered the fourth line between Jordan Greenway and Beck Malenstyn, a sign he will play Game 1 against the gritty Bruins.
Over the past week or so, 5-foot-11, 185-pound Tyson Kozak, who skated as an extra, has often pivoted that line.
Dunne gives the Sabres a heavy presence.
“He played well enough that it sent a message to us that his physicality, some of the guys he fought, his faceoff (skills), his D-zone awareness at playing center was really good,” Ruff said. “Just a real good team guy that we feel probably could have scored a little bit more, but did a great job of handling pucks down low, possessing pucks down low.
“And when it came to the physical stuff, he always wanted to be the first guy in.”
Dunne compiled one goal, four points and a minus-7 rating in 34 games this season.
In other lineup news, Connor Timmins practiced Saturday alongside Logan Stanley, meaning he could start the series as the Sabres’ sixth defenseman. Rookie Zach Metsa often occupied that spot late in the regular season.