The Buffalo Sabres have assigned prime prospect Isak Rosen again to the minor leagues, clearing up the room to activate star ahead Tage Thompson off of injured reserve, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo Information. Thompson has missed Buffalo’s final 5 video games after struggling a lower-body harm within the workforce’s November eleventh matchup in opposition to Montreal. He returned to follow in full earlier as we speak and shared that he’ll be good to go on Wednesday with reporters together with Jonathan Acosta of WGRZ.
Thompson will return to the lineup with a four-game objective streak nonetheless intact since he scored as soon as within the sport he sustained his harm. He has 11 objectives and 18 factors in 16 video games this season, nonetheless standing as the one Sabre to cross 10 objectives regardless of 5 fewer appearances. Thompson has continued to function the center of Buffalo’s lineup this season, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time and a key function on the power-play. He’ll bounce proper again right into a prime function when Buffalo hosts Minnesota on Wednesday, seemingly between his regular wing pair of JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch.
Buffalo has persevered by way of Thompson’s absence, setting a 4-1-0 report of their final 5 video games. However the offense has taken a notable hit, with Buffalo averaging simply 2.8 goals-per-game with out Thompson — down from the three.44 objectives it averaged in its first 16 video games. It’s been defender Bowen Byram and goaltenders Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to step up in response, with Byram averaging practically 24 minutes of ice time and the netminders averaging 2.40 goals-against with out Thompson.
In the meantime, Rosen will return to the minors after receiving 6:30 of ice time in Buffalo’s Saturday win over San Jose. He didn’t report any factors within the outing, pulling Rosen by way of his eighth profession NHL sport with nonetheless no scoring. That’s regardless of the younger Swede serving because the Rochester Individuals’ main scorer, with 13 factors by way of 14 video games this 12 months. He ranked second on the workforce in scoring final 12 months, with 50 factors in 67 video games as an AHL rookie. Rosen nonetheless stands as certainly one of Buffalo’s top-shelf prospects, and can rejoin firm like Konsta Helenius, Viktor Neuchev and Anton Wahlberg in Rochester. All 4 prospects will struggle to climb Buffalo’s call-up record earlier than the winter break by righting a sinking Rochester lineup at the moment on a seven-game dropping streak.
