The Buffalo Sabres are taking a momentary departure from their home-heavy October schedule to go on the road, but in a quirk of scheduling, they are making their final visit to Massachusetts of the season, as the Sabres take on the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday. In spite of the positive aspect that Buffalo has earned points in six of their last seven games, their last two contests ended up in the loss column after leading both late in the third period.
As was hinted by his placement on a line with Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn at practice on Wednesday, Jordan Greenway will make his return to the lineup at center. The Sabres have been thin up the middle since the loss of Josh Norris to an upper body injury on October 9, and after moving up Ryan McLeod into the top six, head coach Lindy Ruff has been searching for answers up the middle. Moving Tage Thompson to the middle, placing Jiri Kulich between Zucker and Quinn, and promoting Peyton Krebs to the the third line were all unsuccessful temporary measures.
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The Sabres also experimented and gave 2022 first rounder Noah Ostlund his first opportunity in a scoring role, but after four games playing with Zucker and Quinn, the Sabres demoted the 21-year-old center to the AHL Rochester Americans to activate Greenway.
“The one thing you’d like is for him to finish his opportunities,” Ruff said in Boston Thursday morning, “I think number one, (Ostlund) his play defensively was good. He was a lot more comfortable than last year when he stepped in, I think the progression for a player like that is good, the ability to get on the scoresheet is probably nis next step.”
Ostlund was given slightly more of a chance to play higher in the lineup, and his lack of being able to convert on chances made Ruff’s decision easy, but it is possible later in the season that he could get another chance based on his play in Rochester. Greenway is not a natural center, but the Sabres like his size clogging up the middle. Buffalo clearly does not want to move Thompson to the middle, but they are thin on options up the middle until Norris returns that that might not be until December or January.
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