The strength of their opponents isn't the only gut-check aspect of this road trip for the Sabres; they'll also be tasked with winning minus Ryan O'Reilly and Johan Larsson, the two centermen they rely upon most in the defensive zone. O'Reilly is still recovering from the appendectomy he underwent during the Christmas break, while Larsson is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated wrist and elbow.
The absence of O'Reilly and Larsson will mean an increase in the matchup responsibilities for Buffalo's other centermen, namely Jack Eichel and Zemgus Girgensons. Dan Bylsma said that Girgensons will assume Larsson's checking role, while Eichel will have to face whoever the Rangers and Blackhawks throw out there with those teams having the last line change in the upcoming two games.
"It changes the situation fairly dramatically in terms of matchups and situations, especially on the road for these two games," the Sabres coach said. "Zemgus will kind of assume the position Lars was in - a little bit of the defensive situations, he'll be favored playing in. And Jack's going to get the matchup against whoever they see fit. On the road, that's going to be the challenge for him."
You can catch Bylsma's full comments below.
