BUFFALO – If the Sabres need him, winger Jordan Greenway could play, coach Lindy Ruff said.
“But he’s really being hampered,” Ruff said following this afternoon’s short practice in KeyBank Center.
Greenway, who has underdone surgery to repair a sports hernia twice in about the last 13 months, has recently been on a load-management plan.
The Canton native doesn’t play on back-to-back days and often sits out practices to rest or do off-ice work.
Ruff said Greenway plans to meet with doctors again Thursday and “just try to figure out where we’re with all this.”
“See if there’s something we can approach a little bit differently,” he said. “He may have to go back and see his surgeon just to get another opinion from him, if this is normal or something he’s going to have to battle through.”
Greenway has played just 33 games this season. After missing the first 10 contests, he played 11 straight before he began sitting out again.
He has missed the last two games, the first time he has sat out two consecutive contests since the Sabres began their load-management plan.
In the meantime, Ruff feels confident utilizing Tyson Kozak, a natural center, at left wing on the fourth line.
“I really like the way Kozak has been playing, at the same time,” he said. “Speed has been good. Let’s see if we can get Greener in a better place, and that might be after the (Olympic) break at some point.”
In other news, Ruff did not have an update on goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who left Tuesday’s 7-4 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs after Auston Matthews scored 10:49 into the game.
Luukkonen did not practice today.
“Don’t have an update, but would expect one this afternoon at some point,” Ruff said.
Meanwhile, Ruff center Jiri Kulich, who hasn’t played since Nov. 1 because of a blood clot issue, took some shots on the ice today in full equipment.
Ruff said Kulich has also skated a few times in a track suit.
There’s no timeline for the Czech’s return. Ruff said there’s a period the youngster must stay away from physical activity “where the clot could become dangerous again.”