BUFFALO – The night before his first game in 53 days, Sabres center Josh Norris acknowledged he couldn’t sleep well – “I was a little anxious,” he said – and woke up early.
The oft-injured Norris, 26, hasn’t played since Oct. 9, opening night, when he suffered an upper-body in just his fourth appearance with the Sabres.
After missing the last 24 games, he’s ready to face the Winnipeg Jets tonight. Norris pivoted Zach Benson and Tage Thompson during this morning’s pregame skate.
“Just excited to get back in the lineup,” Norris said this morning KeyBank Center. “Really just made sure that I was good before I made the decision to come back.”
Having battles injuries in recent seasons, Norris took his time coming back from his latest ailment. He has played just four games since the Sabres acquired him before the trade deadline last season.
“I’ve obviously been through some stuff before, so just think I probably took a little bit of extra time this time, just to be 100-percent sure,” he said. “Especially with the type of injury I had, you’ve just got to be careful.”
Still, he wants to be thrown right into the fray tonight.
“There’s no easing into coming back 25 games in,” he said. “… It’s full go and I feel good. Just excited to get back.”
The Sabres must make a roster move to activate Norris from injured reserve. Rookie defenseman Zach Metsa, who has been serving as an extra, could be assigned to the Rochester Americans to create room on the 23-man roster.
With Norris back and winger Jordan Greenway ready to play after sitting out Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild for load management, it appears forwards Josh Dunne and Tyson Kozak will be scratched tonight.
In other lineup news, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen took reps this morning in the net normally reserved for the starter.
Rookie Colten Ellis looked sharp in Saturday’s win in Minnesota. Ruff has often kept playing the hot hand.