Eichel, Ullmark miss practice with lower-body injuries

The Buffalo Sabres practiced without captain Jack Eichel and goaltender Linus Ullmark on Friday as the two players nursed lower-body injuries.
Eichel, who was a late scratch against New Jersey on Thursday after participating in pregame warmups, is considered day-to-day. Ullmark was still being assessed following practice but is expected to miss Buffalo's back-to-back home games against Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday.
"We're not expecting him to be available over the weekend, but we are hoping it becomes a day-to-day after the weekend," Krueger said regarding Ullmark.

Ullmark has started four straight games for the Sabres, including a 41-save outing in New Jersey on Tuesday. Carter Hutton is currently the only other goaltender on the active roster, with Jonas Johansson and Dustin Tokarski both on the taxi squad. Hutton, Johansson, and Tokarski all practiced Friday.
Curtis Lazar practiced on a line with Victor Olofsson and Sam Reinhart in Eichel's absence. Here's how the team lined up in full:
68 Victor Olofsson - 27 Curtis Lazar - 23 Sam Reinhart
4 Taylor Hall - 12 Eric Staal - 24 Dylan Cozens
13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo
53 Jeff Skinner - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 15 Riley Sheahan
45 Casey Fitzgerald* - 74 Rasmus Asplund - 72 Tage Thompson
78 Jacob Bryson - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 33 Colin Miller
10 Henri Jokiharju - 62 Brandon Montour
88 Brandon Davidson - 44 Matt Irwin

Krueger stressed that the lineup at practice did not guarantee anything for Saturday's game. That said, here are some notes on the group:
• Rieder resumed his usual place alongside Eakin and Okposo after missing the past two games with an upper-body injury. Krueger said Rieder is available to play moving forward.
• Skinner skated alongside Casey Mittelstadt and Riley Sheahan. The line provided a turn at center for Mittelstadt, who has two points in three games on the wing since returning to the lineup on Monday. Skinner has been a healthy scratch the past three games.
• Ristolainen skated with the team for the second straight day and could make his return to the lineup Saturday. The defenseman said Thursday that has conditioning was improving following a serious bout with COVID-19.
"We're really pleased with what he's shown yesterday and today and hopefully we'll see that again tomorrow morning so we can put him back in the lineup," Krueger said. "It's not a given yet, but it's a high possibility."

Let's play two

The Sabres will play their sixth of 12 sets of back-to-back games this season when they welcome the Flyers to KeyBank Center this weekend. The two teams previously split a two-game series in Philadelphia on Jan. 18 and 19.
The Flyers occupy fourth place in the East Division with 21 points, six ahead of the Sabres. They saw forwards Jakub Voracek, Scott Laughton, and Oskar Lindblom return from the COVID-related absence list on Friday. Captain Claude Giroux returned from the list with a three-assist outing in a victory over the Rangers on Thursday.
Philadelphia's lone remaining COVID-related absence is forward Travis Konecny, who has been in protocol since Feb. 14.