The Buffalo Sabres’ blue line just took another step toward full health.
Defenseman Olen Zellweger returned as a full participant in Friday’s practice at KeyBank Center, and he's expected to make his Sabres debut Saturday versus the Chicago Blackhawks. The offseason trade pickup had been in concussion protocol since the Sept. 22 preseason game and missed the season-opening loss in Columbus.
“I feel great. I really wanted to play in the first game, but it was just a bit too soon, I think,” Zellweger said. “The extra couple days actually made a massive difference, so I’m looking forward to getting going here.”
The concussion came from a hit to the jaw/cheek area by Blue Jackets defenseman Carson Soucy. Zellweger pulled a puck off the offensive-zone wall and carried it toward the slot, but Soucy laid him out before he could make a pass. It ended Zellweger's preseason after 13:37 of ice time.
“I don’t think it was a crazy dirty hit, but I don’t think it was perfectly clean, either. It’s just one of those things where you’ve got to put yourself in a better position,” said the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Zellweger, who’s a great skater and figures to be a major contributor to Buffalo’s offense this season.
Friday’s practice had Zellweger on the second pair with Owen Power, who was arguably the Sabres’ best player in the season opener. Power skated 25:25, second most on the team, and was plus-two with a pair of assists. His first helper saw him steal the puck from an unaware Matthew Knies in the Columbus zone at 4-on-4, then carry it back in and feed Noah Östlund, who set up Mattias Samuelsson to open the scoring. Later in Thursday’s game, Power drew a hooking penalty as he dangled through the slot, then picked up the secondary assist on Konsta Helenius’ power-play goal.
