Name: The Sabres need goalies now after Carter Hutton joins Linus Ullmark among the injured
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The Sabres need goalies now after Carter Hutton joins Linus Ullmark among the injured

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Mar 23, 2021The ’ biggest question mark entering the season was goaltending.It’s a colossal, titanic, gargantuan question mark now.joined on the sideline Monday, leaving a 5-3 loss to the with what appeared to be a severe left leg injury. replaced him, skating to an crease for the first time in almost five years. The new backup is , a career ECHL goalie.General manager Kevyn Adams needs to get to work immediately.The Sabres planned to reshape their goaltending this summer, but Adams simply can’t wait. He doesn’t have enough goalies to fill the nets in Buffalo and Rochester.The rules for this COVID-19 season require teams to have a minimum of three goalies on their roster and taxi squad. The Sabres have only three healthy goalies under contract: Tokarski, Houser and .If Hutton is expected to miss time – interim coach Don Granato did not have an immediate update – Buffalo will be obligated to acquire someone or summon Luukkonen from Rochester before Wednesday’s game in Pittsburgh.If Luukkonen joins the Sabres, the Amerks’ only goalie for Wednesday’s game in Utica will be . He signed a tryout contract last week and has 10 games of professional experience.There’s no one else in the organization.How’d the Sabres get to this unenviable spot?Carter Hutton leaves with an apparent left leg injury – a bad one.Starter Linus Ullmark is already sidelined.Dustin Tokarski is in an NHL net for first time since October 2016.— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl)“That’s tough,” left wing said.It’s not as if the Sabres were in great shape before the injury. Hutton is 1-10-1 with an .886 save percentage. Johansson was 0-5-1 with an .884.The only goalie playing well was Ullmark, who went 5-4-2 with a .919 before getting hurt. Ullmark is on this week’s trip to New York, Pittsburgh and Boston, but he’s not close to playing.“Linus has not practiced with us, so a big part of having him on the trip was to get that process started,” Granato said before Monday’s game. “We’ll have more information as we put him on the ice. We’re going to be taking in information, as is Linus, to work out any projection from that point.“Hopefully, sooner than later, but again that’s the purpose of having him here (is) to find that out.”Tokarski, therefore, inherits the No. 1 job by default. The 31-year-old appeared in his 35th&nbsp;NHL game Monday, replacing Hutton just 2:53 after puck drop.“I didn’t have to think too hard,” Tokarski said. “I just had to throw the stuff on and go play some goal, I guess.”With 33 saves on 37 shots, Tokarski certainly didn’t ease into his first appearance since Oct. 28, 2016.“He gave us a chance, made some big, big saves,” Skinner said. “It’s good to see him play well like that, and hopefully he can keep it up.”Since skating to the crease with the in 2016, Tokarski has led a nomadic AHL life with stops in San Diego, Lehigh Valley, Hartford, Charlotte, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Rochester. Though he hated to see Hutton go down, he was excited to finally see NHL shots.“I’ve got to say, it was a lot of fun,” he said. “I’m excited to be a part of Buffalo and get the opportunity to play in a game.”Depending on Adams’ moves, Tokarski could play in a lot more. The Sabres have 26 games remaining and would be hard-pressed to throw Houser to the NHL wolves for the first time.Of Houser’s last 155 appearances, 153 have come in the ECHL. That’s two steps below the NHL, meaning the 28-year-old would face a massive challenge should he be called upon.That leaves Luukkonen. The Amerks goalie is 5-2-1 with a .904 save percentage and 3.19 goals-against average. He’s 2-0-1 in his last three starts with a .939 save percentage.The 22-year-old is pegged as the Sabres’ goalie of the future, but the future may be now.In addition to the short-term questions, the Sabres have long-term queries. Ullmark and Hutton are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. Adams signed Tokarski to a two-year deal simply to fulfill the requirements for the Seattle expansion draft this offseason.The Sabres will have choices. The UFA list features , , , , , , , , , , , and .But that’s for next season. The Sabres need goalies now.And they need them badly.(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Mar 23, 2021The ’ biggest question mark entering the season was goaltending.It’s a colossal, titanic, gargantuan question mark now.joined on the sideline Monday, leaving a 5-3 loss to the with what appeared to be a severe left leg injury. replaced him, skating to an crease for the first time in almost five years. The new backup is , a career ECHL goalie.General manager Kevyn Adams needs to get to work immediately.The Sabres planned to reshape their goaltending this summer, but Adams simply can’t wait. He doesn’t have enough goalies to fill the nets in Buffalo and Rochester.The rules for...

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John Vogl

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The Sabres need goalies now after Carter Hutton joins Linus Ullmark among the injured

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