BUFFALO – The Sabres on Sunday sent prospects Ryan Johnson and Isak Rosen back to the Rochester Americans.
They recalled Johnson, 24, before Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins because captain Rasmus Dahlin’s absence left them with just six defensemen.
Dahlin, who visited his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, in Sweden over the Christmas break, is expected to rejoin the Sabres on Monday in St. Louis for the start of their three-game road trip.
Matovac has been rehabbing after experiencing major heart failure and undergoing a heart transplant in the summer.
Meanwhile, the Sabres assigned Rosen to the AHL because center Tyson Kozak, who has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, practiced again Sunday.
“Doing well,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said in KeyBank Center. “So just getting practice time.”
Sabres winger Jason Zucker, who has missed the last eight games with upper- and lower-body injuries, also practiced Sunday, his first full session since going down Dec. 8. He participated in Saturday’s pregame skate.
“I thought for probably the first real, full, hard practice he looked good,” Ruff said. “So just coming out of it, we’ll see where he’s at in these coming days.”
Zucker accompanied the Sabres on their trip.
In other news, Ruff said defenseman Michael Kesselring and center Tage Thompson missed Sunday’s practice for maintenance and will face the Blues. Winger Jordan Greenway sat out as part of his load-management plan.