The start of the Buffalo Sabres 2025-26 regular season could not have gone any worse on Thursday. The club was shutout 4-0 by the New York Rangers and goalie Igor Shesterkin in front of a sellout crowd at KeyBank Center and late in the third period lost center Josh Norris to an upper-body injury. Norris was taking a faceoff, fell to the ice, struggled to get back to the bench and did not return to the game.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after practice on Friday before the club departed for Boston that Norris was being evaluated, but his tone reflected it could be something that could keep him out long term.
“(Norris is) being evaluated (by) the doctors right now, so we’ll have an update later this afternoon,” Ruff said. “I know that he’s not dealing with it very good, he’s pretty disappointed with where he’s at with this injury.”
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The 26-year-old center was acquired by the Sabres in a deal that sent Dylan Cozens last March. Injuries have been a constant presence for Norris in his six-year NHL career. The former San Jose first rounder played the full 56-game COVID-shortened season in 2020-21, but since has missed 148 games with an assortment of injuries.After the trade, Norris played just three games for Buffalo and was out the rest of the season..
Norris said at the start of training camp that he had an injury-free summer and was able to workout to prepare for his first full season with the Sabres, centering the top line between Tage Thompson and Zach Benson, and in the preseason he and Thompson seemed to click, tying for the club lead in scoring with seven points. The Sabres have recalled center Josh Dunne from AHL Rochester to fill Norris’s roster spot, and Jiri Kulich has been moved up to center the top line against the Bruins on Saturday.
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