Robert Hagg will enter the lineup on defense in place of Jokiharju. Dustin Tokarski will start in goal.
Here's how the group lined up during the morning skate:
| February 25 at St. Louis |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 19 Peyton Krebs | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 74 Rasmus Asplund | 24 Dylan Cozens | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| 96 Anders Bjork | 20 Cody Eakin | 15 John Hayden |
| LD | RD | G |
| 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | 31 Dustin Tokarski |
| 8 Robert Hagg | 13 Mark Pysyk | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 78 Jacob Bryson | |
The Sabres assigned forward Brandon Biro to Rochester following the morning skate. Biro made his NHL debut in the absence of Olofsson and Okposo on Wednesday, tallying two shot attempts in 13:30. He ranks third on the Amerks with 36 points (9+27) in 39 games.
The Amerks visit the Syracuse Crunch tonight at 7.
Granato said Jokiharju is doubtful for Sunday's game in Dallas in addition to missing tonight.
"The hope is to have him back very soon after," Granato said. "We'll get more information as he goes through treatment."
Jokiharju ranks second on the Sabres in average ice time (21:10), behind his defense partner Rasmus Dahlin. Casey Fitzgerald is expected to pair with Dahlin against the Blues.
"I think Fitzgerald is a good fit," Granato said. "They're comfortable with the style we play - very comfortable, I think - and I think they're compatible."
Video: PREGAME: Granato
The Sabres are looking to snap a four-game winless streak that continued with a 4-0 loss in Montreal on Tuesday. Granato felt a lack of support on the part of forwards in that game led to turnovers as the defensemen tried to break the puck out against a strong Canadiens forecheck.
"Part of growth in this league for young players is being able to adjust in game 53 when you're beat up, you've got sore elbows, sore ribs, your groins are tight," he said. "Understanding that you can't do what you normally do, understanding how to compensate when you don't have your legs or you don't have your energy. That's a big part of the process.
"So, I felt the other night we tried to compensate early by cheating a little bit, keeping our momentum, instead of stopping in defensive position and waiting for the puck to come to you."
St. Louis is 4-0-1 in its last five contests coming off a 4-1 victory in Philadelphia on Tuesday. While it was Jordan Binnington who earned that win, it's been the play of fellow goaltender Ville Husso - who will start tonight - that has propelled the Blues of late.
Husso's 1.97 goals-against average ranks second in the NHL among goalies who have played at least 10 games. He is 9-1-1 with a .942 save percentage since Jan. 1.
Vladimir Tarasenko leads the Blues in goals (19) and points (46). Robert Thomas enters the contest on a five-game point streak, with two goals and six assists in that span.
