Comrie, Tuch would give the Buffalo Sabres a major boost in Winnipeg

The Buffalo Sabres are still banged up, but they could get three players back into the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Buffalo Sabres could be getting a pair of reinforcements for Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, with all signs pointing to Alex Tuch and Eric Comrie being ready to roll. Tuch’s impending return couldn’t come at a better time with Tage Thompson shelved, while Comrie was foreshadowing a redemption season until he went down with a lower-body injury. And if Tuch had it his way, he would be on the ice tomorrow night, stating:

"“I feel good and ready. It’s something that took a little bit longer than I originally anticipated, but it’s a long season. It was something that we didn’t want to flare up again. We just wanted to make sure to keep it under control. … Just wanted to be 100-percent.”"

Source: Practice Report | Tuch returns to practice, could play Friday in Winnipeg by Katelyn Kardaman, Sabres.com

Barring any last-minute setback, we will see Tuch return to the lineup and provide a sound scoring threat, most likely on the first line alongside Dylan Cozens and Jeff Skinner if the lineup in Thursday’s practice held any water. But Tuch isn’t the only forward potentially returning, as rookie Zach Benson will also see ice time after missing time with a lower-body injury.

Buffalo Sabres veteran goaltender has a good chance to return vs. old team

In 2021-22, Eric Comrie made a name for himself as a backup when he posted a 10-5-1 record in 16 starts. He also had a 0.625 quality starts percentage, a 0.920 save percentage, and a 2.58 GAA. Last season didn’t go so well, but Comrie has looked better in 2023-24, posting a 2.45 GAA and a 0.914 save percentage in three starts, and his road to redemption started with a strong preseason.

We saw more positives on Thursday when Kardaman revealed that Comrie had a net to himself in practice, meaning the Sabres were comfortable with giving him a full workload. Despite the trying season 2022-23 brought, one of Comrie’s highlights came when he helped the Buffalo Sabres secure a win in Winnipeg, where he stopped 19 of 21 shots on goal and logged a 0.905 save percentage.

Given the way Comrie has played this season since before he went down with an injury, he could play a key role in helping the Sabres keep things manageable while Tage misses time.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)