Benson notched an assist, two hits and two PIM in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Lightning.
Benson returned from an upper-body injury that cost him four games. The 20-year-old winger was on the fourth line Saturday, though he saw a decent 13:39 of ice time. He was in a top-six role for much of January, but he may need to get up to speed again -- while he didn't miss many games, he was out for nearly a month due to the Olympic break. Benson has seven goals, a career-high 20 assists, 75 shots on net, 23 hits, 22 PIM and a plus-17 rating over 43 appearances this season.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Off injured reserve
Rotowire
Benson (upper body) has been activated off injured reserve Saturday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
The Sabres returned Anton Wahlberg to AHL Rochester in a corresponding move. Benson has seven goals, 26 points, 20 PIM, 75 shots, 21 hits and 15 blocks in 42 appearances in 2025-26. He missed four straight games due to the injury, and an illness delayed his return to practice. However, he will return to the lineup against Tampa Bay on Saturday.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Not returning Friday
Rotowire
Benson (upper body) won't return to the lineup Friday versus the Panthers, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.
Benson remains on injured reserve. He wasn't expected to return Friday, instead targeting Saturday's game versus the Lightning, likely in an effort to avoid the back-to-back set. Benson will miss his fourth straight game, but it appears he's close to rejoining the Sabres' lineup, at which point he'll likely fill a middle-six role.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Game-time call
Rotowire
Benson (upper body) will be a game-time decision in Florida on Friday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
While head coach Lindy Ruff hasn't ruled out Benson against the Panthers, it seems more likely that he will suit up Saturday in Tampa Bay. Benson has missed three games with the injury. He has seven goals and 19 assists in 42 appearances this season.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Put on injured reserve
Rotowire
Benson (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, per the NHL media site.
Benson won't play during Buffalo's three-game road trip, which begins against New Jersey on Wednesday, but it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. The Sabres also put Jordan Greenway (abdomen) on the IR list, while officially activating Josh Dunne (undisclosed), Josh Norris (upper body) and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) in corresponding moves. Benson has seven goals and 26 points in 42 outings in 2025-26.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Set to miss road trip
Rotowire
Benson (upper body) is not expected to return during the Sabres' three-game road trip, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports Monday.
Benson was already ruled out against the Devils on Wednesday, but it seems his absence will linger a little longer. Considering the 20-year-old winger has already missed two games due to his upper-body problem, fantasy managers can likely expect him to be designated for injured reserve prior to Wednesday's contest to clear roster space for the return of Josh Norris (ribs).
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Not expected to play Wednesday
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Benson (upper body, undisclosed) is not expected to play Wednesday against the Devils, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
The reason for Wednesday's absence is unrelated to the upper-body injury that caused Benson to miss the last two games before the Olympic break. The 20-year-old has had a strong season so far, registering 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 42 games played for the Sabres this season. Benson will start the post-Olympic break stretch run four points away from matching his most in a season in his young career.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Won't play Thursday
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Benson (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Penguins, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports.
Benson sustained his upper-body injury during Monday's win over the Panthers, and he'll be unavailable for a second consecutive game heading into the Olympic break as he continues to receive treatment. He'll have several weeks to recover during the league's layoff, and his next opportunity to suit up will be Feb. 25 against New Jersey.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Unable to finish game in Florida
Rotowire
Benson is being evaluated for an upper-body injury after leaving Monday's 5-3 win over the Panthers in the third period, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.
According to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, Benson crashed into the end boards following a breakaway attempt and was favoring his left shoulder as he left the ice. Head coach Lindy Ruff said the team will see where Benson is at Tuesday ahead of the second half of Buffalo's back-to-back in Tampa Bay. The left-shot winger scored his seventh goal of the season and went plus-1 in 14:10 of ice time in Monday's victory.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: No update on status after game
Rotowire
Benson sustained an apparent upper-body injury during Thursday's 4-2 win over the Canadiens, and there was no update on his status after the game, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Benson was on the receiving end of an elbow to the head from Zachary Bolduc late in the third period, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 20-year-old Benson potted an even-strength goal on two shots and went plus-1 in 10:47 of ice time in Thursday's victory. Benson can be considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday's matinee matchup against the Islanders.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Pots goal in loss
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Benson tallied a goal in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Panthers.
Benson scored the lone goal of Monday's second period to level the game at two goals apiece. With the twine finder, the 20-year-old winger now has five goals, 20 points and 61 shots on net through 31 games this season. After a quiet start to the calendar year, he has three points over his last two games and is trending upward offensively. He should maintain a middle-six role and a spot on the team's second power-play down the stretch, giving him fantasy value in deep leagues moving forward.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Garners two assists in win
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Benson recorded two assists and five shots on net in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Ducks.
Benson had been limited to two goals over nine games since his last multi-point effort. The 20-year-old winger is currently in a third-line role and on the second power-play unit, so he's unlikely to reach his full potential until he gets a larger share of ice time. He's now at 19 points, 60 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 30 appearances this season, putting him on track for a career year.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Nets game-winner Sunday
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Benson scored a goal and added two PIM in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Devils.
Benson has three goals and two assists over his last five games. The 20-year-old's tally at 16:05 of the second period stood as the game-winner Sunday. He's up to three goals, 16 points, 41 shots on net and a plus-4 rating through 22 appearances. Benson's appeal is limited in a third-line role, but the Sabres' lineup is far from settled, and he'll be more intriguing if he finds himself in a top-six spot eventually.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Notches two assists
Rotowire
Benson garnered a pair of helpers in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Sabres.
Benson is riding a three-game point streak, having notched two goals and two assists along the way. With 15 points in 20 games to start the year, the 20-year-old winger could set new personal bests this year, topping both the 11-goal and 30-point marks he set in his rookie year.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Adds empty-netter
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Benson scored an empty-net goal on two shots and added two hits in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Kraken.
Benson has scored in back-to-back games. The 20-year-old looks to be finding his scoring touch after failing to score in his first 17 outings this year. He's produced 13 points, 34 shots on net and a plus-2 rating over 19 appearances. If Benson can stay healthy, he'll have appeal as a depth winger in fantasy.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Adds two assists Monday
Rotowire
Benson dished out two assists in Monday's 5-1 win over the Jets.
Benson recorded his second multi-assist effort of the season Monday. He had the secondary helper on Josh Norris' goal in the first period and slid the primary assist to Norris for his tally in the third. Overall, Benson has 11 assists and 21 shots on goal through 13 games this season. While he's yet to find the back of the net this season, the 20-year-old winger currently finds himself alongside two of the team's best goal scorers, Norris and Tage Thompson, on the top line. Benson has recorded an assist in over half of the games he's played this season and is a solid streaming option in fantasy when healthy. Look for the promising winger to challenge his career high of 30 points, which he set in the 2023-24 regular season.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Sets up empty-netter in return
Rotowire
Benson logged an assist in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Hurricanes.
Benson missed the first 10 games of November due to a lower-body injury. The 20-year-old saw 16:56 of ice time Sunday despite being listed on the third line, so it's safe to assume he'll be getting ample ice time moving forward. He's produced nine helpers, 17 shots on net and a plus-4 rating over nine appearances this season, but a couple of injuries have limited his availability, and he'll need to stay healthy to help fantasy managers.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Removed from IR
Rotowire
Benson (lower body) was activated from injured reserve Sunday, per the NHL media site.
After missing the last 10 games, Bensen should return to the lineup against Carolina on Sunday. He has registered eight assists, 16 shots on net, six blocked shots and four hits in eight appearances this season. The Sabres returned Isak Rosen to AHL Rochester in a corresponding move.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Not playing Friday
Rotowire
Benson (lower body) has been ruled out of Friday's home game versus Chicago, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
Benson will miss his 10th straight game. He has eight assists in eight games this season. Benson could return as early as Sunday versus Carolina.
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Sabres' Zach Benson: Suffered lower-body injury
Rotowire
Benson is out of action with a lower-body injury, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports Saturday.
Head coach Lindy Ruff said Saturday that Benson has been hampered by the injury for the last two games before the 20-year-old forward was unable to play. The Sabres placed Benson on injured reserve, and he could be out for at least one week. Benson has eight assists in eight appearances this season.
