'Man, he can fly' | Norris makes immediate impact with 3 points in return

Josh Norris tried to treat Monday as just another game, but his mind and body wouldn’t allow it.

While his teammates fought their way to a comeback win Saturday in Minnesota, Norris’ excitement took hold – knowing he would likely join them against the Winnipeg Jets, ending a nearly two-month recovery from the upper-body injury he sustained on opening night.

He lay awake on Sunday, the moment that much closer.

“A little restless last night,” Norris said. “But hopefully better sleep tonight.”

Norris had two goals and an assist in his return, fueling the Sabres to a 5-1 win at KeyBank Center. His performance showcased the talents – world-class speed, a shooting threat on the power play – that inspired Buffalo to acquire him from Ottawa at last year’s trade deadline and make him their top-line center to begin this season.

Buffalo – healthier now than at any point this season – pulled its season points percentage back to .500 with the win, three points out from third place in the Atlantic Division.

Norris admired the job his teammates did keeping the season afloat through a litany of injuries and other absences. At one point, they were missing six key players from their opening night roster – not counting defenseman Michael Kesselring, who missed the start of the season and is currently working his way back from a second injury.

Stepping in as top-line center between Tage Thompson and Zach Benson – a spot where he enjoyed plenty of success during the preseason – Norris entered Monday simply looking to contribute and not be a distraction. He told his linemates leading into the game that he just wanted to keep things simple, unsure of how he would play.

It took all of one shift for him to make an impact. Norris burst through the neutral zone and drew a holding penalty against Dylan DeMelo. On the ensuing power play, he faked a shot to create a passing lane, then hit Josh Doan’s blade on the edge of the crease. The puck trickled through goalie Eric Comrie, and Jason Zucker dashed in to push it across.

“It kind of gets you right into the game,” Norris said of the power-play opportunity.

Norris scored a goal of his own later in the first period to extend the Sabres’ lead to 3-0. This time he received the puck beside the net, pulled it to the front and sent a backhand shot in off the leg of a Jets defenseman.

In the third period, Norris received a one-touch pass from Benson in the neutral zone and sped past two defenders before burying his backhand attempt on the breakaway. The goal extended the Sabres’ lead to 5-1, effectively putting the game out of reach.

“That kind of sealed it,” Norris said. “I was fired up for that one.”

Norris nearly pulled away for another breakaway later in the period.

“That’s just pure speed going up ice,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.

“Man, he can fly,” added Alex Tuch, a great skater in his own right. “It’s noticeable.”

All told, it was a promising chapter in what’s been a trying start to Norris’ Sabres tenure. He’d missed a month due to injury shortly before being acquired by the team in March, then played just three games before a lingering ailment forced him to shut down his season.

He returned following a productive summer and tied for the NHL lead in preseason points. The positive momentum was interrupted when he sustained an injury with less than five minutes remaining in the regular-season opener.

He stayed positive through the recovery process. Teammates spoke postgame about the hard work he put into being able to hit the ground running upon his return.

Norris’ speed and offensive instincts made an impact. So did his presence.

“I think it’s one of those things where how hard he works, how much he wants to be back and be playing hockey again, I think it just kind of motivates the whole team,” goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen said. “Everybody wants to play well when he’s coming back.”

Here’s more from the win.

Playing connected

The Sabres’ team speed was on full display Monday – a nod to both their skating ability and their commitment to supporting each other up the ice.

Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals scored 15 seconds apart. The first – Zucker’s power-play goal – was made possible by the penalty Norris drew skating in neutral ice. The second came from Bowen Byram to complete a 3-on-2 rush.

The Sabres added two more rush goals in the game, a second-period response from Alex Tuch (which came less than two minutes after Kyle Connor scored the Jets’ lone goal) and the breakaway score by Norris.

“It was a night that where we were really connected,” Ruff said.

Luukkonen gets the win

The Sabres turned to Luukkonen in goal, a decision Ruff said was in part made to give Colten Ellis rest following a long plane ride after his shootout win in Minnesota.

Luukkonen delivered with a steady, 23-save performance which included a shorthanded breakaway stop on Cole Perfetti to stave off any comeback hopes for the Jets early in the third period.

Luukkonen has won three of his past four starts. His 75th career win broke a tie with Roger Crozier for eighth most in Sabres history.

“I thought he gave us a couple real key saves,” Ruff said. “… He just looked in control, and to me, it didn’t look like he was going to get beat.”

Defending Scheifele

The Jets entered the night boasting one of the NHL’s premier forward lines in Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi.

The Sabres, despite controlling the matchups with home-ice advantage, didn’t let the job fall on any one line or defense pair – a factor that could bode well for when the two teams meet again in Winnipeg on Friday. All 18 skaters saw more than a minute of 5-on-5 ice time against Scheifele, including 11 players with more than three minutes spent against the Jets' top center.

Up next

The Sabres open a season-long, six-game road trip in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The game will be nationally televised on TNT and streaming on HBO Max with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m.