BUFFALO – In the games before a high ankle sprain forced him out of the lineup again, Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring started to find a rhythm and feel more like himself.
Kesselring, 25, said he carried the puck more often and made plays, signs he was getting his legs back and developing confidence.
But the newcomer, who has missed the last three games, wasn’t 100 percent.
On Dec. 23 in Ottawa, he tweaked his ankle. On Dec. 31 in Dallas, the injury became so difficult to handle he said he decided “to let it settle for a week or two.”
“Come back hopefully feeling better,” Kesselring said this morning after participating in the pregame skate in KeyBank Center. “Hopefully when I get those tweaks it isn’t as bad this time.”
Kesselring, who arrived in an offseason trade with the Utah Mammoth, won’t play tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
Coach Lindy Ruff said the Sabres plan to give him a day off Sunday before seeing how he responds to contact Monday.
“Mid-week, we’ll hopefully have a decision whether he can play or not,” Ruff said.
Injuries have derailed Kesselring’s first season here, limiting him to just 16 games.
He said the knee injury that knocked him out of the lineup late in the preseason and forced him to miss the first nine contests will nag him all season.
“But it’s gotten a lot better,” he said. “For a month now it’s been feeling better. That’s been good.”
High ankle sprains, of course, are notoriously difficult to overcome. After going down Nov. 15, he missed 10 games.
Naturally, joining a new team and missing so much action has been difficult. Winning – the Sabres have taken 12 of their last 13 games – has certainly helped ease any disappointment he has felt.
“The guys in here have been great with me, and I love our team,” Kesselring said. “It’s a great group. It’s a little bit easier when we’re having so much success, right? You’re not worried about letting the team down. They’re playing great without me.
“So just focus on my health, so when I come back, I can help the team even more.”
In other news, the Sabres, who have never won 13 out of 14 games in franchise history, are expected to utilize goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen tonight. The Finn took shots this morning in the net usually reserved for that night’s starter.
Goalie Colten Ellis played in Thursday’s 5-2 road win over the New York Rangers.
In other news, the Sabres made one roster move this morning, recalling Zac Jones from the Rochester Americans to serve as an extra defenseman.