From the Ice Level Practice Report…
Zach Bogosian is expected to return to the lineup for the Sabres in one of their next two games, coach Ralph Krueger announced Saturday. The team's road trip continues against the Florida Panthers Sunday and concludes in Tampa on Monday.
Bogosian missed all of training camp as he recovered from offseason hip surgery. He skated for roughly a month prior to joining the team for practice on Nov. 13.
"It's nice to be around the group," Bogosian said following practice on Saturday. "I spent a lot of time at home. I love my family, but it was time to get back to work. It's been fun."
The Sabres practiced with eight defensemen Saturday after assigning John Gilmour to Rochester. Bogosian skated on a pair with Rasmus Dahlin, though Krueger affirmed that the pairs might not necessarily reflect what we see against the Panthers on Sunday.
"We're expecting to bring him in this weekend," Krueger said. "We just played with some looks today in practice, but we'll make the final decision after assessing today's practice and make that call tomorrow."
At full health, Buffalo's current depth on defense means two players are being scratched on a nightly basis. Colin Miller sat against the Bruins on Thursday; Marco Scandella was out the game prior.
Krueger said players were prepared for these scenarios in conversations during camp and stressed the need for all eight defensemen moving forward as the Sabres navigate a condensed schedule. Their game in Florida opens a stretch of five contests in seven days.
"It's part of being a team is that you're not always going to like the role you have, the ice time you get, or if you're scratched," Krueger said. "But how do you react to that? How do you still support your teammates?
"So far, we've seen nothing but support from players who haven't been called to play in a game and are watching from the outside. They're the first guys in the room to greet the guys coming off the ice at the end of the game. We need to continue with that spirit."
