BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -Sabres centers Tim Connolly and Adam Mair are out indefinitely, marking the latest blow to a once-dominant team that has struggled to start the season.
Coach Lindy Ruff said Tuesday that both will be out after Connolly strained his abdomen and Mair sprained his right ankle in a 2-0 loss at Montreal a day earlier. Ruff said Connolly would “miss some time,” but was more concerned about Mair’s injury, saying the gritty fourth-line player will be out for weeks.
Mair did not return after he was hurt in the second period. Connolly continued playing after he was hurt early in the third period, but Ruff said the injury worsened after the team returned home.
Connolly has been Buffalo’s most consistent forward, and was tied for team lead with 12 points (11 assists) in 13 games. Mair has two goals and one assist in 13 games.
The Sabres (5-7-1), who host Boston on Wednesday, have lost three straight and are tied for 12th in the Eastern Conference. That’s a major turnaround from last year, when Buffalo won its first 10 games to match an NHL record for best start, on its way to a league-best 53-22-7 finish.
The Sabres are already missing two veteran defenseman. Dmitri Kalinin is out indefinitely with a sprained right knee and Jaroslav Spacek has missed six of seven games with a shoulder injury. Defenseman Nolan Pratt is also out after straining his groin in his Sabres debut last week.
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