Morning Skate | Jokiharju to be assessed prior to puck drop vs. Rangers

Henri Jokiharju was absent from the Sabres' morning skate Tuesday and will be a game-time decision for the team's home contest with the New York Rangers, coach Ralph Krueger said.
Krueger described Jokiharju's ailment as "very minor" and referred to the defenseman as day-to-day.
"We're actually going to assess him this evening," Krueger said.

Matt Irwin could draw into the lineup in what would be his Sabres debut should Jokiharju have to miss the game. Irwin has remained on the active roster as the seventh defenseman since the start of the regular season, a role he played in seasons past as part of a talented defense corps in Nashville.
"I've learned to embrace that role," he said. "It's a challenge to stay ready, obviously. You want to stay ready and you have to stay ready, that's your job. So, you treat practices like they're your games. You work hard and you try to stay detailed in everything you do."
The Sabres cited Irwin's professionalism and understanding of his role as one reason they brought him in on a one-year contract during the offseason. Irwin entered the NHL as an offensively minded defenseman with San Jose but had to accept a different job in Nashville. Sometimes, he said, it was as simple as eating minutes and biding time for All-Star talents like Roman Josi and P.K. Subban to catch their breath.
Krueger said that team-oriented mindset has been apparent through the first month of the season.
"First and foremost, he's an unbelievable pro and a positive spirit in our room," Krueger said. "He brings so much energy into meetings, into the off-ice, into the on-ice in practice.
"He's got good feet, he's quicker than we actually expected, makes good reads, and if he does come in tonight, we would be pleased for him. He's very well deserved to see a game and we feel comfortable if Matty's the guy who comes in tonight."

The lineup

The Sabres recalled Dylan Cozens and loaned Casey Mittelstadt to the taxi squad following the morning skate. Mittelstadt made his season debut Sunday in place of Cozens, who was given a rest day after scoring his first NHL goal two days prior.
Carter Hutton, meanwhile, was back on the ice after taking an elbow to the head from Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov in Philadelphia last Tuesday. He is expected to back up Linus Ullmark, who was the first goaltender off the ice at the morning skate.
Here's how the team lined up this morning:
4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
68 Victor Olofsson - 12 Eric Staal - 24 Dylan Cozens
13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo
53 Jeff Skinner - 27 Curtis Lazar - 15 Riley Sheahan
Extras: 37 Casey Mittelstadt, 72 Tage Thompson
19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
44 Matt Irwin - 62 Brandon Montour
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 33 Colin Miller
35 Linus Ullmark
40 Carter Hutton
34 Jonas Johansson

Scouting the Rangers

New York is 1-3-1 and sits last in the East Division standings despite positive possession metrics. Artemi Panarin leads the team with six points, all of which have come during a four-game point streak.
The Rangers boast the youngest roster in the NHL with seven players age 22 or under (one of whom is forward Filip Chytil, who will miss four to six weeks after sustaining an injury on Sunday). The youngest of that group is right wing Alexis Lafreniere, 19, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft.
"People like Lafreniere coming into our building here and playing against us is truly always an exciting moment as a hockey fan in your heart," Krueger said. "But we are strategically focusing on the dangers of the Rangers. I don't think we've seen their A-game yet. They are a very high-speed, high-transition, offensively talented, powerful team and he just adds another dimension to that offense."
Alexandar Georgiev will start in net for the Rangers. The 24-year-old is 1-1-0 with a .907 save percentage in two starts this season.

Tune in

Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop set for 7. You can also listen to the game on WGR 550.