Zach Benson was a surprising injury scratch for the Buffalo Sabres in their opening night game against the New York Rangers. Benson is one of the players tasked with leading the Sabres out of their playoff drought, but a puck to the face at the team's practice on Wednesday ended up with him watching Thursday night's game from a hospital bed. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff gave reporters some insight post-game, but remained pretty vague with the actual injury.
“That little cut on his face turned into something bigger,” Ruff said. “Crazy. I mean, just a crazy incident. I won't go into any more detail, but that's where he watched the game from tonight, and we didn't really expect that.”
The Sabres could've used Benson's scoring touch, as Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers shut them out in their first game. It was a bounce-back effort for the Rangers, as they were also shut out in their first game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Buffalo managed to get 37 shots on the superstar Russian goaltender, but he was up to the task with several ten-bell stops.
The Sabres hope that Benson will be able to take the next step this season, as his first two years after making the team as an 18-year-old have been slightly underwhelming. He recorded 30 points in 71 games in his rookie year, but had just 28 in 75 last season. The last thing Buffalo wants is for Benson's production to decline for a second straight year, as they face questions about whether it was the right move to throw him into the NHL fire right away.
While a night's stay in the hospital seems to be a bit more severe than expected, the Sabres hope that Zach Benson's injury won't keep him out for much longer. It's unlikely that he will be in the lineup for their next game when the team travels to Boston to take on the Bruins on Saturday night.
