Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff announced defenseman Michael Kesselring will return to the lineup for Thursday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
"Kesselring indicated to me that he would be good to go, which is a great thing," Ruff told reporters after Wednesday's practice.
The 25-year-old blueliner, who was acquired by Buffalo along with winger Josh Doan in the blockbuster JJ Peterka trade with the Utah Mammoth over the offseason, has appeared in just nine games so far this season because of two separate injuries.
Kesselring is still looking for his first point as a member of the Sabres, but his underlying defensive metrics during that initial nine-game stint were promising. He owns the best 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes rate (1.99) among the club's defensemen, per Natural Stat Trick.
The 6-foot-5 defender skated alongside Owen Power in practice. The other pairs featured Rasmus Dahlin with the surprisingly resurgent Mattias Samuelsson and Bowen Byram with Conor Timmins.
Let's take a look at some of the other injury updates provided by Ruff.
Peyton Krebs battling an illness that's been going around the Sabres locker room
Alex Tuch and Josh Norris both missed time during Buffalo's recent six-game road trip because of an illness that continues to impact the club.
Krebs missed Wednesday's on-ice session because he was sick, leaving him questionable for Thursday's clash with the Flyers, and he's not the only symptomatic player.
"We've got a couple that were in practice today that are starting to feel it but wanted to practice, so we don't know," Ruff said.
Krebs' offensive struggles have continued this season (no goals and nine assists in 32 games) but he's recently been deployed on the first line as the Sabres battled the injury woes.
Colten Ellis scheduled for a concussion evaluation soon
Ellis has remained in the NHL's concussion protocol since leaving a Dec. 9 game against the Edmonton Oilers following an accidental shoulder to the head from Oilers forward David Tomasek.
Ruff stated the 25-year-old goaltender is scheduled for his next evaluation Friday, which will determine whether he can return to practice.
Ellis, who was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues just before the start of the regular season, has compiled a 3.25 goals against average and an .895 save percentage across eight starts.
New Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen confirmed the team is aiming to end its problematic three-goalie rotation once Ellis is cleared. Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are the other netminders on the club's roster.
Jason Zucker getting close to rejoining the Buffalo lineup
Zucker had scored five points in his last four appearances before suffering upper- and lower-body injuries during a Dec. 8 game against the Calgary Flames.
Ruff confirmed the veteran winger is hoping for a post-Christmas return.
Zucker has been one of Buffalo's most consistent offensive forces when healthy, tallying 18 points (nine goals and nine assists) in 21 games. His presence has been sorely missed on the power play.
Justin Danforth's return timetable remains uncertain
Ruff said Danforth is "doing OK now" as he recovers from a broken kneecap suffered in mid-October, but yielded no further information about when the versatile forward could play again.
The 32-year-old Canadian signed with the Sabres as a free agent in July. He didn't record any points in four games before the injury.