The Buffalo Sabres have moved Isak Rosen back to the minors to make space for Tage Thompson, who is ready to play again after being injured.
Thompson missed five games due to a lower-body injury from a match against Montreal on November 11th. He practiced fully today and told reporters, including Jonathan Acosta, that he plans to return on Wednesday. Despite his time off, Thompson still has an impressive four-game goal streak because he scored in the game where he got hurt. With 11 goals and 18 points in just 16 games this season, he’s been crucial for Buffalo’s lineup. His return means he’ll likely take his usual spot with JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch when they face Minnesota.
Buffalo managed well without Thompson, winning four out of five recent games. However, their scoring dipped to an average of 2.8 goals per game without him compared to 3.44 earlier in the season. Bowen Byram and goalies Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stepped up during this time; Byram played almost 24 minutes per game while the goalies allowed only 2.40 goals on average .
Rosen’s Return to Minors:
Isak Rosen heads back to the minors after playing just over six minutes in Saturday’s win against San Jose without any points added to his record. Although he’s yet to score in eight NHL games, Rosen shines as Rochester Americans’ top scorer with 13 points from 14 games this year. Last season as a rookie, he was second-best on the team with 50 points over 67 AHL games.
Fans might think it’s exciting how young prospects like Rosen are developing even if they’re not scoring yet at NHL level.
Rosen will join Konsta Helenius, Viktor Neuchev, and Anton Wahlberg back in Rochester where they aim for call-ups before winter break amidst a seven-game losing streak for their team.
What do you think about these changes?
