Buffalo forward Patrick Kaleta was released from the hospital Wednesday after an overnight stay following a hard hit late in the first period of Buffalo's 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Kaleta was sent home and will not travel to Boston for the Sabres' game against the Bruins on Thursday.
Kaleta, who has a history of head and neck problems, was driven into the boards by Toronto's Mike Brown, who was assessed a minor penalty. Kaleta skated off awkwardly with 2:26 left in the period and did not return.
"It's a neck injury," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said after the game.
However, Ruff said he didn't think Brown's hit was dirty.
"I thought he was sideways," Ruff said. "Some of the obligation is on the player (being hit). He wasn't defenseless. It's a tough area. It wasn't a blatant run a guy from behind."
Brown, who fought Buffalo's Mike Weber immediately after the hit, also left the game early. He played one shift in the second period before ending his night due to what Toronto coach Randy Carlyle termed an "upper-body injury."