The Buffalo Sabres have a lengthy list of injured players and got one back in their lineup on Friday with Jason Zucker returning after missing three weeks due to a virus, but early in the second period of their 9-3 victory over Chicago, it appeared that that list would get larger. Defenseman Bowen Byram, who had scored his fourth goal of the season in the first period, fell awkwardly into the boards after checking Hawks forward Frank Nazar.
Byram had trouble getting back to his skates, and was favoring his right shoulder when he skated off the ice and down the tunnel to the Sabres locker room, but surprisingly returned after five minutes of game time and played a regular shift the rest of the game, finishing with 18:01 on the night.
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“It didn’t look good initially. I was pretty worried that was a guy we weren’t see come back,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said.
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Ruff said that he was cautiously optimistic that Byram was fine, saying that it was a positive sign that he returned and finished the game, but also said that they would see what tomorrow would bring. The club cancelled a scheduled practice on Saturday and will complete their four-game homestand on Sunday afternoon against Carolina,
Buffalo may get another injured forward back against the Hurricanes, as Ruff said on Friday that winger Zach Benson could return Sunday. The injured forward has been out since October 30 with a lower-body injury, but took part in the morning skate. Ruff considered the possibility of Benson returning against the Hawks, but opted to keep him out another game.
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