Teammates help Jordan Staal off the ice Tuesday. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald

Sabres’ Josh Gorges explains play that injured Jordan Staal

BUFFALO – Late in the Sabres’ 2-0 preseason win Tuesday, defenseman Josh Gorges got tangled with Carolina’s Jordan Staal. A second later, the Hurricanes center fell to the ice.

Staal’s out indefinitely after breaking a bone in his right leg.

Gorges explained the play today following practice inside the First Niagara Center.

“The puck got moved up to him,” he said. “I stepped in front of him to try to separate him from the play. We got kind of tangled up. He tried to grab around me to switch positions. Next thing I know, he falls. He must’ve gotten tangled up, and I went right over top of him.

“It was one of those plays, where as soon as I landed on him, I heard him scream. I knew right away something must’ve hurt him. I mean, he’s a pretty tough guy. A guy like that doesn’t lay on the ice for nothing. I knew something was wrong right away. I was kind of on his back side. The ref came to me and told me it looked pretty ugly. It’s kind of one of those scary plays.”

He added: “You don’t want to see a guy go down like that, especially first game of the preseason. You’re trying to get yourself back and ready to play.”

In other news, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk, who left Tuesday’s win following his first shift, is “probably day-to-day,” coach Ted Nolan said.

Nolan said Pysyk (upper body) could be sidelined as much as a week or two, however.

“It wasn’t nothing real, real serious,” he said. “But just enough to put him out for a while. It’s a tough break. He came into camp in great shape and ready to battle here.”

Nolan doesn’t know how Pysyk was injured.

With Pysyk out, “a door opens for the guy who’s battling with him,” Nolan said.

What are Nolan’s thoughts on the first week of training camp?

“We’ve been extremely happy with the approach and with the attitude,” he said.

He added: “The practices have been crisp and firm and to a point.”

The Sabres have Thursday off. Nolan said the Sabres could trim the roster soon.

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