Sabres get concerning injury news as doctor confirms worst-case scenario
Noah Ostlund could be facing weeks on the sideline, and the timing for the Buffalo Sabres ahead of Game 6 in Boston could not be worse.
Dr. Harjas Grewal posted a public read on the play tonight. The concern is an MCL injury. The doctor also flagged a possible medial ankle sprain on the same leg.
Both injuries typically come with multi-week recovery timelines.
The 22-year-old Swedish rookie centers a Buffalo bottom six that has been quietly outstanding. Ostlund finished the regular season with 27 points in 60 games and a +11 rating at an $886,667 cap hit.
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He had 2 points in 2 playoff games before tonight. The Sabres got him a real role this round and he was producing on a depth line. Now Lindy Ruff has to figure out how to replace minutes he didn't budget for.
Buffalo leads the series 3-2 after losing Game 5 in overtime to David Pastrnak's controversial winner.
The Sabres need one more win to take their first playoff series in 14 years. The path just got narrower.
The clip making the rounds shows a sequence that didn't draw a penalty in real time.
Östlund went down awkwardly. Stayed down. Got helped off. The kind of body language nobody wants to see on a depth player who matters.
What Lindy Ruff loses if Ostlund can't go Thursday
The Sabres bottom six has been the story of this round behind Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. Ostlund's line was driving even-strength minutes against Boston's third pair. Pulling him out flips the entire matchup chart.
Buffalo finished the regular season 50-23-9 with 109 points and the top spot in their division.
The depth was the difference. Lindy Ruff has built this team to roll four lines and the kid was a real piece of that math.
Boston comes in with momentum. Pastrnak buried an overtime winner that should have been reviewed for offside and wasn't.
The Czech winger went straight to the glass after the goal to scream at a Sabres fan. The intensity level for Game 6 just got loud.
Marco Sturm hid his lineup before Game 5 by canceling morning skate. The German bench boss now gets to do the same thing at home.
The Bruins survived elimination once. They get one more crack at it Thursday.
Tage Thompson came in with 4 points across 4 games and a +5 rating. Alex Tuch leads Buffalo with 6 points. Rasmus Dahlin has been steady on the back end. The top of the lineup has carried this team. The bottom carried the rest.
Why does the Östlund injury sting more than a typical depth loss? Because the Sabres have been one of the youngest playoff teams in the league.
Their young guys have been outperforming their cap hits all postseason. Losing one of them mid-series breaks the formula.
Lindy Ruff will get an update Wednesday. Buffalo fans will spend 24 hours staring at every clip of the play. Game 6 just got harder than it looked at the buzzer.
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 28, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kirill Kaprizov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Evan Bouchard | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Connor McDavid | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Hyman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexander Killorn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Elias Lindholm | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael McCarron | 1 | - | 1 | |
| David Pastrnak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vasily Podkolzin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mats Zuccarello | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Quinn Hughes | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||