The Buffalo Sabres are hopeful that Thomas Vanek’s ‘lower body injury’ isn’t serious, after he left Saturday’s game against the Bruins late in the first period after crashing hard into the boards. It’s not just the injury the Sabres will be unhappy about, it’s the slash by Johnny Boychuck that has the team and fans fuming.
Talking to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, coach Lindy Ruff was not happy with the “two-hander” slash, and said that he’s expecting Vanek to make the trip to Boston for game 3.
Vanek was the leading goal scorer for the Sabres in the regular season, and losing him for an significant amount of time is going to seriously handicap Buffalo’s offensive attack. It was obvious that after the Sabres lost Vanek for the game, they struggled to maintain the crisp and aggressive approach that was successful to start the game.
There is some thought that Vanek’s injury could be his right knee from the direct slash by Boychuk, but it appeared he was favoring his left ankle as he struggled to get off the ice. So while the slash on his knee certainly was blatant, it was the collision with the boards that was so devastating.