BUFFALO – Among the 1,300 or so players who participated in NHL preseason games, Sabres center Josh Norris stood out as perhaps the most dynamic performer.
It can be hard to put much stock in exhibition contests, but the oft-injured Norris, who participated in this morning’s pregame skate, looked ready to seize his role as the Sabres’ top pivot.
Then late in the season opener Oct. 9, he suffered an upper-body injury and has missed 17 games.
Today marked Norris’ first time skating with his teammates. He was joined by winger Jason Zucker, who was has missed the last seven games battling a virus.
Neither one will play tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Sabres will also be without defenseman Michael Kesselring, who suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday’s 5-4 overtime road win against the Detroit Red Wings.
More on Kesselring later.
For Norris, 26, skating with his teammates again was significant.
“It was tough going through that,” Norris said this morning in KeyBank Center. “Come here and just wanted to get off to a really good start. It seems like forever ago, but preseason, I got my game going and was feeling pretty good.
“Sometimes things happen you don’t really understand. I think that was really just a fluke thing.”
There’s no timeline for either player’s return. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Zucker could be available this weekend.
“It was definitely a big step to skate with the team today,” said Norris, who scored three goals and a league-high seven points in four preseason outings.
When Norris went down, he was expected to be sidelined around eight weeks, so he’s ahead of schedule.
“He’s really encouraged because things have felt a lot better than they thought they were going to feel,” Ruff said. “I think that’s got some excitement in him.”
Norris has a history of injuries, having battled shoulder problems for years with the Ottawa Senators. After the Sabres acquired him in trade last season, he played just three games before an oblique injury ended his campaign.
During some difficult times recently, Norris said he leaned his family, teammates and the team’s medical staff for support.
“I think it’s so important to have that,” he said. “But there’s still some tough days, for sure, no matter who’s around you. You’re just going to go through days (where it’s), ‘Yeah, I’m stuck with it and unable to play.’”
Meanwhile, Zucker, 33, said he was so sick he spent about 10 days in bed or on the couch doing nothing.
“It was a rough couple weeks, but doing better, so it’s nice to be back,” he said.
Naturally, Zucker, who’s listed at 198 pounds, recently lost some weight.
“That was obviously the worst part about it,” he said. “It’s been good to be back on the ice for a couple days trying to recoup and gain some strength, try to get some food, try to gain some weight back, try to get my conditioning back.”
In other news, Ruff said Kesselring, 25, will be evaluated again today.
“Going to be a little bit of time for him,” he said. “I don’t have a time frame yet.”
The Sabres today added an extra defenseman by recalling Zach Metsa from the Rochester Americans. Jacob Bryson is expected to replace Kesselring.
Colten Ellis is expected to start in goal, his second straight nod and third in the last four games.