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Isles aim to end skid against Sabres (Dec 16, 2016)
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Following a rare offensive burst in a win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, the Buffalo Sabres are finally getting healthier on the back end.
After dealing with injuries on defense all season long, the Sabres (11-11-6) see the light at the end of the tunnel heading into a matchup with the New York Islanders on Friday. Defensemen Zach Bogosian and Taylor Fedun participated in practice on Thursday and both are nearing a return to the lineup -- which would give the Sabres a full roster of defensemen for one of the first times this season.
"As a team, it's great," Fedun said, according to The Buffalo News. "We've had some key injuries back there. It's definitely a good problem for us to have going forward."
"We haven't been in that situation the whole year long, so frankly it's a new situation for us here at the 29-game mark," Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma said, according to The Buffalo News. "Each defenseman that's stepped up and played for us has brought a little bit different element."
Buffalo squares off against the Islanders at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Bogosian has not played since Nov. 1 due to a knee sprain. The veteran is one of Buffalo's top defensemen when healthy. Fedun last played on Dec. 3. When both return, the Sabres will likely have to send a player back down to the AHL with eight defensemen on the roster.
In a 6-3 win over Los Angeles on Tuesday, the Sabres scored four goals in a span of 6:13 for a comeback win. Sophomore standout Jack Eichel had two goals and an assist, and Ryan O'Reilly, Brian Gionta, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Sabres.
"Once we kind of got on a role, we stayed with it," O'Reilly said. "Goal after goal, you could feel the life in the building. Everything just kind of changed. We took the game over."
The Sabres have five games over the next eight days before their holiday break.
"After the loss to Washington, we really looked at these six games before the break for us to really bear down and focus here," Bylsma said, according to the team's website. "I think that's really why the L.A. win is a real big win for this group and one we want to keep going here. ... It's just a stretch of time I the season where we really have to bear down and try and get some wins here and go on a roll."
The Islanders (11-13-5) are coming off three consecutive losses, including a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. The Islanders lost in a back-and-forth affair on Richard Panik's tie-breaking goal with just over six minutes remaining.
In each of those losses, the Islanders have entered the third period tied only to fall late.
"Turn around, right back at it tomorrow night," Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic said. "Points are crucial this time of year. We're well aware of what's at stake and where we want to get to as a group. We've been playing some good hockey. We've just got to get right back into it."
According to Newsday, youngster J-F Berube will get the start for the Islanders in net against Buffalo. It will be the first start of the season for him.
