- Konsta Helenius is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury
- Zach Benson sat out practice, and the Sabres hope it was only maintenance
- Read below for how the injury happened and who is close to returning
The Sabres will be without Konsta Helenius for a while.
Head coach Lindy Ruff said Monday that the 20-year-old center is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Ruff did not give a timeline or any other details.
Helenius got hurt in Buffalo’s 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks last Tuesday. His final shift came with less than four minutes left, and he finished with 11:44 of ice time and an assist on Olen Zellweger’s goal early in the second period.
The Sabres have not lost since. They beat the Ducks 7-6 behind a Tage Thompson hat trick, then closed out the California trip with a 3-2 win over the Kings on Saturday.
Helenius has one goal and two assists in 11 games this season, averaging about 13 minutes a night. He broke into the lineup during Buffalo’s playoff run in the spring, and the Sabres were hoping that would carry over.
The bigger worry might be Zach Benson. He was not on the ice at Monday’s practice, and Ruff said the team is hoping it was just a maintenance day.
Benson has played all 14 games and leads Buffalo with 11 assists. His 13 points rank third on the team, so losing him on top of Helenius would sting.
There was some good news at practice. Conor Timmins, Alex Lyon and Jiri Kulich were all back on the ice, and Timmins and Lyon have yet to play this season. Check out the practice report:
The Sabres are 7-4-3 and off until Wednesday, when they host the Ottawa Senators. We’ll find out then whether Benson is in the lineup.
