BUFFALO – Winger Jordan Greenway, the Sabres’ top penalty killer and one of their most physical forwards, will be undergoing surgery to repair a mid-body injury and be sidelined a “significant amount of time,” coach Lindy Ruff said.
“I don’t have a time frame for it, but it’s a good period of time,” Ruff said following Thursday’s practice in KeyBank Center.
Ruff said he believes Greenway, 27, will play again this season.
The injury recently forced to him miss 10 straight games. After playing four times, he departed Tuesday’s pregame skate early and sat out the Sabres’ 6-1 road loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
The reeling Sabres, who have lost 11 consecutive games (0-8-3) entering tonight’s home contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs, sorely need Greenway.
He averages 2 minutes, 57 seconds of penalty-killing time per game, the NHL’s second-highest total among forwards.
Ruff said he and his staff spent Wednesday trying to “regroup” the penalty killing without Greenway.
“He would’ve been the guy that would’ve been out there in those scenarios,” he said. “It was five-on-three, he was the guy we were putting on the ice most of the times. So you got to regroup, you got to have other people step up.”
The Sabres will also miss the 6-foot-6, 231-pound Greenway’s physicality. Most games, he makes his presence known to opponents.
“He is part of the heavy game,” Ruff said. “You go to the physicality, the defending part of the game, he is the one guy that has been rock solid for us in that category and physical.
“I think you look at some of those games where it got heavy, he was the one guy that it kind of stood out where, he’s a big man … (he) can physically dominate.”
Ruff also said center Ryan McLeod missed Thursday’s practice for maintenance and is questionable to play against Toronto.
The Sabres, however, at least have some good news.
Captain Rasmus Dahlin, who has missed seven games battling back spasms, said he will return tonight. The Sabres’ top defenseman said Tuesday he would be ready to play against Toronto.
Dahlin quarterbacked the top power-play unit during Thursday’s practice, his first since leaving the lineup Dec. 3.
Meanwhile, center Sam Lafferty, who has missed nine games with a lower-body injury, practiced on a regular line Thursday.