- The Buffalo Sabres got an update on deadline acquisition Sam Carrick ahead of Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens
- Head coach Lindy Ruff made the announcement Saturday with the series tied 1-1
- See video and full details on the Sam Carrick update below
Sam Carrick is back in the Sabres lineup.
The 33-year-old center is set to play in Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night at the Bell Centre after missing the last 15 games with a left arm injury. Head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed Carrick’s availability Saturday.
He’ll slot into Buffalo’s fourth line for his first Sabres playoff appearance. Carrick hasn’t been in the lineup since March 31, when he hurt his arm in a fight with New York Islanders forward Anders Lee.
The deadline acquisition has been a real find for the Sabres when healthy. Carrick came over from the New York Rangers for a 2026 third-round pick and a sixth, and put up five goals and four assists in 13 games before the injury ended his regular season early.
This isn’t his first postseason ride. Carrick played 10 games for the Edmonton Oilers on their 2024 Stanley Cup Final run, winning 53.3 percent of his faceoffs in the process.
The road back hasn’t been a straight line. Heading into the second round, Ruff said Carrick still wasn’t ready:
A few days later, the update started to turn:
I’m curious which Carrick shows up after six weeks off. He looked locked in before the fight with Lee, but six weeks is a lot of rest in the middle of a playoff series.
Buffalo and Montreal split the first two games at KeyBank Center, with the Sabres winning Game 1 and the Canadiens hammering them 5-1 in Game 2. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET. The Bell Centre is going to be loud regardless of who’s on Buffalo’s fourth line.
