The team with the NHL’s longest playoff drought lost three players to injury on Tuesday.
The day started with news that forward Jason Zucker had been placed on injured reserve after suffering lower- and upper-body injuries in Monday’s loss to the Calgary Flames. He has nine goals and nine assists in 21 games this season.
Then, just minutes before Tuesday’s game in Edmonton against the Oilers, top centre Josh Norris was scratched because of illness and soreness, the team said.
The oft-injured Norris had played just the last four games with the Sabres after suffering an upper-body injury in the season opener. He was acquired by Buffalo prior to last season’s trade deadline in a big deal that sent Dylan Cozens to the Ottawa Senators.
As if losing Zucker and Norris wasn’t bad enough, goalie Colten Ellis was replaced by Alex Lyon late in the first period. He appeared to be pulled off by concussion spotters a few minutes after he was run over by David Tomasek.
The Sabres entered Edmonton 0-3 on their current six-game road trip. They are last in the Eastern Conference standings and entered Tuesday’s game without a road regulation-time victory this season.
