The road-warrior Buffalo Sabres returned home for a little while today and practiced in HSBC Arena. There were missing quite a few players.
Forwards Drew Stafford, Patrick Kaleta, Paul Gaustad and Mike Grier, defensman Chris Butler and goaltender Patrick Lalime all skipped the workout with various injuries and ailments. Here's the rundown:
Stafford, hamstring: "He’s just going to be day-to-day," coach Lindy Ruff said. "Obviously, he wasn’t able to skate today. We’ll re-evaluate. I would just put him in the questionable category for tomorrow [at Toronto]."
Kaleta, knee: "The update is a severe bone bruise," Ruff said. "He’s got his leg immobilized now for a short period of time, so he’s going to be out at least another week and probably longer."
Gaustad: "We'll see. He’s being evaluated right now for upper body."
Grier, who returned from a groin injury for Thursday's 4-3 overtime win in Boston, took a "maintenance day."
Butler: "Butler is upper body, too, and we’ll see how he is tomorrow."
Lalime: "Patty Lalime has a knee issue that he’s going to need some time off."
Below is the audio from Ruff's news conference.
---John Vogl
