With goaltender Robin Lehner getting injured in the first game of the year, things got off to a shaky start for the Buffalo Sabres. Lehner went down to his knees on a seemingly innocent-looking play and had trouble getting up during the second period and had to be helped off the ice.
The news on Lehner hasn’t gotten better. The team announced on Sunday that they expect Lehner to miss 6-10 weeks with a high ankle sprain, leaving the team without a starter.
The Sabres don’t have a top tier backup ready to go and their depth is going to be tested early in the season for an extended period of time. Chad Johnson was in the NHL behind Lehner and hasn’t excelled so far, posting a .875 Sv% through just slightly over a game and a half.
The team has recalled 24-year-old Nathan Lieuwen to back-up Johnson until Lehner’s healthy (or until something else happens. The organization also has 22-year-old goaltender Linus Ullmark waiting in the wings. He stopped 38 of 39 shots in his North American debut with the Rochester Americans, his only game this season.
The team doesn’t have a bonafide sure-thing replacement, but Johnson has had some decent runs and they also have two young goaltenders who have played strong in limited time and could have a future with the team.
#Sabres Coach Bylsma says Lehner has a high-ankle sprain, roughly timeline for recovery is 6-10 weeks.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 11, 2015
Lehner came to the Sabres in a summer trade with the Buffalo Sabres. He missed a large chunk of last season with a concussion, but still found himself in 25 games, posting a save percentage of .905.
1st impressions on Lieuwen from Coach Bylsma: He's got a smile all the time, can see it through his mask. He earned the call-up.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 11, 2015
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
