Mike Weber has spent much of the season waiting to play. He's going to have to wait again.
The Sabres' defenseman, scratched for 15 of the opening 16 games, suffered an upper-body injury Wednesday night during a 5-3 loss to New Jersey. The game was the first time he'd appeared in back-to-back outings this season.
"Mike sustained an injury that may take some time," coach Lindy Ruff said after practice in First Niagara Center. "I don’t know exactly when it happened."
Weber's final shift came on a penalty kill that ended with 5:36 left. Nothing in the play-by-play reveals a hit or blocked shot.
Weber will join forward Cody McCormick on the sidelines for at least Friday's game in Carolina -- and likely longer. McCormick was absent for the third straight day today with his upper-body injury.
"He’s just not ready to get back yet," Ruff said.
Thomas Vanek and Patrick Kaleta skipped today's workout for maintenance reasons. Tyler Ennis (ankle) and Jochen Hecht (concussion) both skated on lines, and Ruff said one may return this weekend. He refused to divulge which forward it could be.
The full audio of Ruff's chat is below.
---John Vogl
