NHL Player News

Fabbro (lower body) won't play versus the Flyers on Saturday, Adam Kimelman of NHL.com reports.

Fabbro will miss his second straight game. He has contributed three goals, seven points, 33 shots on net, 46 blocked shots and 20 hits in 24 appearances between Nashville and Columbus this season. Jack Johnson will remain in Saturday's lineup due to Fabbro's absence.

Jokiharju was scratched for the second time in four games when he sat out Friday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Jokiharju sat out six straight games in November, but he was right back in the lineup when injuries impacted the Sabres' blue line. Now, he appears in danger of losing his place to Connor Clifton or Dennis Gilbert, though the team's recent slump could cause frequent rotation on defense. Jokiharju is stuck in a 19-game point drought and has just three points with 34 shots on net, 26 blocked shots, 23 hits and a plus-2 rating over 25 appearances this season.

Bryson was scratched for the fourth time in five games when he sat out Friday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Mattias Samuelsson's recent return from injury has bumped Bryson out of the mix on defense for now. Even with Bryson scratched, the Sabres haven't broken out of a lengthy losing streak, so he could get a look over Dennis Gilbert in the near future. Bryson has just two helpers with 25 blocked shots, eight PIM and a minus-7 rating over 18 appearances this season.

Clifton posted an assist, two hits and four blocked shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Clifton snapped his personal five-game slump when he helped out on a John-Jason Peterka goal in the second period. Clifton was scratched once recently (Dec. 15 versus Toronto), but he has generally held onto a third-pairing role. He has seven helpers, 25 shots on net, 93 hits, 52 blocked shots and 23 PIM over 31 outings. More scratches could be on the way as head coach Lindy Ruff tries to figure out the right combinations on the blue line to snap the Sabres' losing streak.

Samuelsson scored a goal on two shots, dished an assist and blocked two shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Samuelsson has three points over five contests since he returned from a lower-body injury. That's better than he usually does on offense -- the 24-year-old is primarily a shutdown defenseman. He has just four points with 24 shots on net, 28 hits, 22 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating through 18 appearances this campaign. The Sabres have struggled mightily in recent weeks, but Samuelsson has looked decent since his return, so he should be able to keep a spot in the lineup.

Timmins offered an assist and blocked six shots in Friday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Timmins helped out on a Nicholas Robertson goal in the second period, which stretched the Maple Leafs' lead to 3-0. With two helpers over his last four appearances, Timmins has been alright on offense. He was also scratched once in that span, so his place in the lineup isn't fully safe. The 26-year-old has seven points, 26 shots on net, 46 blocked shots, 18 PIM, 17 hits and a plus-9 rating over 30 appearances.

Rielly logged an assist, three blocked shots and seven PIM in Friday's 6-3 win over the Sabres.

Rielly dropped the gloves with Tage Thompson in the first period and then assisted on a Nicholas Robertson tally in the second. With three helpers over his last five outings, Rielly is providing decent offense in his usual top-four role. The defenseman has 18 points, 60 shots on net, 49 blocked shots, 15 PIM and a minus-7 rating over 33 contests in 2024-25.

Ekblad notched a power-play assist and four shots on goal in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Blues.

Ekblad has racked up five points, including a pair of power-play assists, over his last three contests. His assist Friday set up Aleksander Barkov on the game-winner at 4:43 of overtime. Ekblad remains on the top pairing for the Panthers, and his offense has taken a step forward since he returned to power-play duties. He's up to 19 points, 64 shots on net, 48 hits, 47 blocked shots, 33 PIM and a plus-6 rating over 34 appearances. The blueliner had just 18 points over 51 appearances in the 2023-24 regular season.

Power posted one goal and one assist in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Power has been productive of late and has cracked the scoresheet in five of the Sabres' last seven games, tallying two goals and five assists over that stretch. The 22-year-old is on pace to have a career-best season offensively in 2024-25. After recording 35 and 33 points in each of the last two campaigns, Power is up to 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) through 33 contests.

Balinskis scored a goal in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Blues.

Balinskis has one goal and seven assists through 31 appearances this season, surpassing the three points (one goal, two assists) he had across 26 regular-season appearances in the 2023-24 campaign. Balinskis won't have much fantasy upside outside formats that stay away from his physicality. He has 42 shots, 25 hits and 18 blocked shots while posting a minus-5 rating.