The Buffalo Sabres are limping towards the finish line. With no hope of making the playoffs, they traded Ryan Miller, Brayden McNabb, Steve Ott, and Matt Moulson before the deadline.
Now they will also have to cope with a string of injuries. Forwards Zemgus Girgensons, Chris Stewart, and Torrey Mitchell will all be sidelined for at least a week, per the Sabres.
What makes the news even sadder for Buffalo is the fact that Stewart and Mitchell were both recently acquired in separate trades. Meanwhile, Girgensons is a rookie and a 2012 first-round selection. Even if winning might not count for much in Buffalo at this point, the Sabres at least want to use what time they have left to give their top prospects like Girgensons some NHL experience.
Buffalo will take on Chicago tonight in a game that, at least on paper, looks very one sided. Still, it’s worth noting that Sabres goaltender Jhonas Enroth is hot and Buffalo has gone 4-2-0 since the Olympic break. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville cautioned that they need to be respectful of the Sabres going into this contest.