Sabres D Sekera out at least 2 weeks with injury January 18th, 2009
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera will be out for at least two weeks with an ankle injury.
Coach Lindy Ruff said the team will evaluate Sekera, 22, in at least a couple of weeks – “or maybe longer” – after Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien checked him into the boards in the second period of Buffalo’s loss to the Blackhawks on Wednesday.
Sekera had played in every Sabres game, registering a goal and 13 points in 43 contests and averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game.
“We’re going to miss him, but at the same time it’s an opportunity for other guys to be involved in bigger roles,” Ruff said Saturday.
The Sabres, with eight defensemen already on their active roster, will put 22-year-old rookie Chris Butler into Sekera’s slot. Butler has been steady since the Sabres called him up from Portland of the AHL in December, and is a plus-3 in 11 games.
Butler was promoted when captain Craig Rivet was sidelined because of a shoulder injury.
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Kings activate Johnson from injured reserve
The Los Angeles Kings activated Jack Johnson from the injured reserve list Saturday after the defenseman missed 41 games because of a shoulder injury.
They also assigned forward Brian Boyle to the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs.
Johnson, who turned 22 on Tuesday, was hurt Oct. 12 and underwent shoulder surgery later that month.
Before the injury, he played in two games, with no points and two penalty minutes. Last season as a rookie, Johnson had three goals, eight assists and 96 penalty minutes in 81 games with the Kings.
Los Angeles opens a three-game road trip in Dallas on Saturday night.