The Buffalo Sabres announced Friday morning that forward Victor Olofsson is expected to miss five to six weeks of game action with a lower-body injury.
Olofsson was injured during Thursday’s win against the Florida Panthers, when he appeared to fall awkwardly (and seemingly randomly).
Olofsson falling before Reinhart goal pic.twitter.com/qspNqOnE5P
— Ben Mathewson (@Ben_Mathewson) January 3, 2020
Olofsson’s injury is a big loss for the young rookie, who has been in the Calder Trophy race talks. He’s also been a big offensive component for the Sabres, who will undoubtedly miss his contributions in the weeks ahead.
The 24-year-old is in his first full season in the NHL. He has appeared in all 42 games with the Sabres this season, and has notched an impressive 35 points, including 16 goals. He’s leading all NHL rookies in scoring, four points ahead of Colorado’s Cale Makar.
Nine of Olofsson’s 16 goals came on the power play, which ties him for third among all players this season. Only David Pastrnak and James Neal have scored more goals on the man advantage this season.
The timeline that the Sabres announced on Friday morning would mean Olofsson likely won’t return until mid-February, and even then may not be 100% until he has the offseason to fully recover.