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Kyle Okposo out week-to-week with rib injury

Posted on by Andy Boron

The Buffalo Sabres have been battling injuries all season long, and the bug has struck yet again.

In their last game against the Arizona Coyotes, Sabres forward Kyle Okposo was hit hard into the bench boards, and after undergoing x-rays, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said that Okposo’s injury would be “week-to-week,” and that it was similar to Evander Kane’s injury earlier this year.

This is bad news for a Sabres team fighting for their playoff lives. Okposo has cooled off after starting the season as the team’s best forward, but he’s still a key competent in the team’s top-six and in one of the league’s best power plays.

If there’s any good news to be had here, it’s that the rest of the Sabres top players have stepped their game up. Jack Eichel and Evander Kane are seemingly unstoppable over the past 20 games, while Ryan O’Reilly and Sam Reinhart have been steady contributors. Even secondary players like Marcus Foligno and Evan Rodrigues have been putting up points in the team’s last few games.

The Sabres take on the Lightning tonight, and while Nic Deslauriers is a poor substitute for Okposo, the Sabres will nevertheless get another chance to take a step forward in the playoff race.

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