Gorges, Kulikov will return to lineup against Caps

The left side of the Buffalo Sabres' defense will look exactly how it was envisioned in the preseason when they take the ice for their game against the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center on Friday night, which is something they haven't been able to say for nearly a month.
Josh Gorges and Dmitry Kulikov will be back in the lineup for the Sabres against the Capitals, marking Kulikov's first game since Nov. 11 and Gorges' first since Dec. 3. Kulikov has missed the last 13 games with a lower-back injury that he sustained in the preseason while Gorges has missed three games with a non-displaced fracture in his foot.

Justin Falk will likely slide over to play on the right side of a pair with Gorges while Kulikov will pair with Cody Franson. The Sabres reassigned defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer to Rochester on Wednesday and will have to return Brendan Guhle his junior team in Prince George. Guhle had been recalled on an emergency basis, which ended with Kulikov and Gorges' return.

Nicolas Deslauriers, who has missed 19 games with a knee injury, skated again with the team on Friday morning but remains questionable. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said he has a number of decisions he still needs to make prior to puck drop regarding his forward group.
Gorges and Kulikov rejoin the lineup just in time to face a Capitals team that has already handed the Sabres two defeats in the past month, including a come-from-behind 3-2 victory in overtime on Monday night. Buffalo had a 2-1 lead entering the second intermission in that game but allowed Washington to tie the contest with a power-play goal in the third period.
"We know what we're up against," Gorges said. "We know how good this team is, the way they play. We understand what we have to do in order to be successful against them. This is a team that's very talented. You can't give up, even for a shift. We've seen that in the last couple games, you let down for a second and they're able to capitalize so we've got to be smart and we've got to play a consistent, full game tonight."
Robin Lehner will start in net for the Sabres.
Coverage on Friday begins with the TOPS Pregame Show at 6:30 p.m. on MSG-B, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops between the Sabres and Capitals at 7 p.m.

Guhle makes strong impression during brief stint

Even before he was recalled one week ago, Guhle had already impressed enough in his first two training camps and abundance of preseason games to show he could hold his own against professional competition. If there was any doubt about how that would translate into the regular season, it was erased over the last three games.
Guhle averaged 16:21 of ice time in games against Boston, Washington and Edmonton, giving him plenty of opportunity to put his elite skating on display against premier competition. What Bylsma praised the most about the 19-year-old defenseman, however, was exactly what he praised when Guhle first arrived at camp in September of 2015: his maturity and his ability to rebound from mistakes.
"He reminds me a little bit of my experience with Olli Maatta as a young player," Bylsma said. "His mindset, his levelheadedness and his consistency in his mind frame is pretty remarkable for a young kid. He came in pretty cool as a cucumber in how he played, how he reacted on the ice. When he made a mistake, he was pretty calm about bouncing back from a mistake or a misplay or whatnot and that a unique thing to see in a young player."
Guhle said that mental toughness is an attribute he's had to work hard for throughout his junior career.
"That's something I've been working on ever since I was 16, 17 was my mental toughness," he said. "It's not easy, especially up here … You play a ton of games so if you have a bad game or a bad shift you just try to put it behind you and move on."
It's difficult to say when we'll next see Guhle in a Sabres uniform. Injuries could warrant another emergency recall, or an early conclusion to his junior season could open the door for Guhle to return in late March or early April. If it takes until next year, he certainly hasn't hurt his chances of making the team out of camp.
"Whatever happens, I've had a great time and it's been a lot of fun," he said. "Being able to play at that level, it's good to know for next year or maybe this year again later on. I'm looking forward to my next game, whenever that may be."
UPDATE (5:15 p.m.):The Sabres officially announced they have assigned Guhle to Prince George.

Projected lineup

Keeping in mind the Bylsma said there might be changes to his forward group, here's how the lines looked when the Sabres skated on Friday morning.
48 William Carrier - 90 Ryan O'Reilly - 21 Kyle Okposo
9 Evander Kane - 15 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
82 Marcus Foligno - 22 Johan Larsson - 12 Brian Gionta
26 Matt Moulson - 27 Derek Grant - 28 Zemgus Girgensons
29 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
77 Dmitry Kulikov - 6 Cody Franson
4 Josh Gorges - 41 Justin Falk
40 Robin Lehner
31 Anders Nilsson