Ruff Provides Updates On Zucker, Lyon, and Kesselring

The Buffalo Sabres return home after going 2-1 on their three-game road swing to play the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. The club practiced at KeyBank Center on Monday and head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update on injured goalie Alex Lyon and defenseman Michael Kesselring, who both were absent from practice.

Any update on Lyon or Kesselring? 

Progressing. Kesselring saw the doctor again, so hope to see him skate by probably the end of the week. Right now, (Lyon is) kind of staying in that day-to-day category.....he'll miss a little bit of time, but it doesn't look like anything too major.

Did Justin Danforth skate on his own? 

I believe he did have a little skate, it was preliminary.

How much has the lineup depth boosted the club in the absence of key players?

It's been very important. We've hit pretty hard. Not many teams have been hit harder with injuries as we have. When you have Ostlund, Rosen, Krebs, the guys that maybe don't play as much moving up and played as well as we did, they're a big factor in the reason we're available to put that many games together. Right now, you look at the back end, we got Timmins and Kesselring out, I think the depth with the guys we've got there and Metsa coming in and playing as well as he has, and Bryson going in again. It's kept us alive.

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How important is it to get Jason Zucker back in the lineup?

I think that he's really looking forward to it. Our power play has been better when he's in the lineup and when he's on it. He's got the most power play goals, so he can help us in that aspect. I think the little extra time helped him too. I mean he came off an upper body and a lower body at the same time and I think a little frustrated he wasn't put back in earlier, but I think the little extra time will help him too, and I think he can help us. 

Was Zucker pressing to get back in the lineup?

I talked to him before that Dallas game, and he was anxious to get back in, which he should be. Any player that sits out, he shouldn't be happy. If he's happy, he's in the wrong business. As a veteran, put me in the lineup…….He didn't bring any of that, but just he wanted to play, wanted to be back in the lineup. I respect that. I want him to be unhappy. I want him to be upset with not being in a lineup. That's a good place to be.

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