Tallinder returning to Sabres lineup

BUFFALO -- The Buffalo Sabres will have defenseman Henrik Tallinder back in the lineup when they host the Florida Panthers at First Niagara Center on Tuesday.

Tallinder was injured Dec. 29 against the Washington Capitals and missed the past eight games.

"It's always frustrating when you're injured, so it's good to be back with the guys in the locker room and everything that comes with it," Tallinder said.

Sabres interim coach Ted Nolan said Mark Pysyk would sit out so Tallinder can play. Tallinder likely will be paired with Tyler Myers, his usual defense partner.

"We just found out this morning that he's really good to go," Nolan said of Tallinder. "We haven't really had a chance to think about exactly who he's going to go with. Myers seems to be the guy who's really going right now. It could be a big benefit for him to play with the top guy right off the hop."

Linus Omark returns to the Sabres lineup after missing the past two games as a healthy scratch. He'll be on the second line with Steve Ott and center Cody Hodgson. Center Zenon Konopka will be scratched to make room for Omark. The past three penalties Konopka has taken have resulted in power-play goals for the opponent.

Ryan Miller was the first goalie off and will start.

The Panthers did not hold a morning skate Tuesday, hours after their 5-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. With the Sabres fresh and the Panthers on the second-half of back-to-back games, it could provide Buffalo with an advantage.

"Sometimes if they get spanked last night you go, 'Oh no, they're ready tonight,'" Nolan said. "You've just got to be ready no matter what. This League now is so competitive. Anybody can beat anybody on a given night. Florida proved that [Monday], to go right into Pittsburgh and have a great game like that, so we're well-aware."

Scott Clemmensen started in goal against the Penguins because Tim Thomas was out with an illness. If Thomas is feeling better he likely will start against the Sabres.

As for the lines, here's how they may look for both teams:

PANTHERS

Sean Bergenheim - Aleksander Barkov - Brad Boyes

Tomas Fleischmann - Nick Bjugstad - Scottie Upshall

Jonathan Huberdeau - Marcel Goc - Jesse Winchester

Jimmy Hayes - Drew Shore - Shawn Matthias

Brian Campbell - Tom Gilbert

Ed Jovanovski - Erik Gudbranson

Dmitry Kulikov - Mike Weaver

Tim Thomas

Scott Clemmensen

Scratched: Krys Barch, Tomas Kopecky, Scott Gomez

Injured: Dylan Olsen (lower body), Alex Petrovic (upper body), Mike Mottau (lower body), Tomas Kopecky (upper body)

SABRES

Matt Moulson - Tyler Ennis - Drew Stafford

Steve Ott - Cody Hodgson - Linus Omark

Marcus Foligno - Brian Flynn - Zemgus Girgensons

John Scott - Matt Ellis - Ville Leino

Tyler Myers - Henrik Tallinder

Christian Ehrhoff - Mike Weber

Brayden McNabb - Jamie McBain

Ryan Miller

Jhonas Enroth

Scratched: Zenon Konopka, Mark Pysyk, Alexander Sulzer

Injured: Kevin Porter (lower body), Cody McCormick (upper body), Matt D'Agostini (upper body)