The Buffalo Sabres have placed forward Jeff Skinner on injured reserve after suffering an upper body injury in Wednesday night’s 5-1 loss to Colorado.
Skinner took an awkward hit from Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon in the 2nd period, and will now miss at least the next 7 days of action before being eligible to return. In a corresponding move the Sabres recalled forward Brett Murray from the Rochester Americans.
Murray was briefly recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate earlier this week, making his debut on Monday with Buffalo, logging 10:47 of ice time and dishing out 3 hits in the process. However he was sent back down to make room on the NHL roster for Alex Tuch who was activated off the IR himself.
The injury could also open up a bigger role for 18 year old winger Zach Benson. With 8pts (3G, 5A) across 20 NHL contests to date, the rookie could be in line for an extended look on Buffalo’s top line alongside Tuch and Tage Thompson.
Buffalo continues their Western Conference swing on Friday with a date against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights at 10pm ET.
Photo: Staff Sergeant Amanda Smolinski. This file is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States.