Anderson returns to practice while Quinn undergoes injury evaluations

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson was a full participant in practice on Friday, a positive step in his recovery from the upper-body injury that has forced him to miss nearly three months.
The good news on Anderson came as the Sabres sustained yet another loss to their forward group. Jack Quinn - who tallied his first NHL goal and assist against Dallas on Thursday - sustained a lower-body injury in that game and did not practice. The extent of his injury is still be evaluated.
Quinn previously missed all of December with mononucleosis. He is tied for the AHL lead with 18 goals despite the long absence, including seven since returning from his illness on Jan. 5.

"He's a young guy, he'll come back out of this even better," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "Young guys, when they get time out, they don't stop improving. It sounds funny, it sounds odd, but it's much like when he had mono, everyone was worried about how he's going to come back. Well, he came back even better.
"They internalize more, they get to step back and soak some things in from a different angle and it does help them."

Quinn, 20, was recalled Thursday and joined the lineup in place of Kyle Okposo, who is considered week to week. He played on the top power-play unit and scored his first NHL goal on a shot off the crossbar.
"At least Jack was in the game and showed us what Jack can do," Granato said. "Nice to see that. Obviously, injuries are a part of the game and it's unfortunate."
Anderson confirmed his upper-body injury occurred when Sharks forward Tomas Hertl made contact with him while scoring a goal in San Jose on Nov. 2. The 40-year-old had posted a .921 save percentage while starting six of Buffalo's first nine games.
"It's been a lot of long days here, going through treatment, the off-ice stuff, so just getting out there with the guys and realize that hockey is fun and puts a smile on your face when you're out there having fun with them, it was good," Anderson said. "It was an eye-opener. Haven't been on the ice for a while so rhythm and timing, conditioning, etc., that's all coming into play here."
Anderson estimated it will take five to seven practices to regain his conditioning and rhythm in goal.
"A lot of it right now is seeing pucks, getting the rhythm back," he said. "It's a lot different when you're seeing coaches flip pucks at you, going through some movement drills versus full-on, full speed, odd-man rushes, guys coming to the slot with the puck. So, there'll be some time to work through that. I want to make sure I'm comfortable in that situation before I say I'm ready to go."
Granato confirmed the net will be Anderson's when he is ready to return. The Sabres currently have a goaltending tandem of Aaron Dell and Michael Houser with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) week to week and Dustin Tokarski out indefinitely due to lingering symptoms of COVID-19. Malcolm Subban is expected to miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair an upper-body injury.
"He's such a pro and a veteran," Granato said. "He knows what he needs. He knows how he feels with issue he's dealing with and he knows what it's going to take to get back to the level of his personal standard. It is incredible when you see him out on the ice because he has a presence in the net. He looks like a slight guy walking around here, inconspicuous. But when he puts that gear on and how he stands and how he holds posture, he just has a presence in the net. You see he's been a number one goalie in the NHL. That's really nice to see, that he's back doing what he wants to do.
"… If he's ready to go, he's earned that net and he'll be back in that net."

Friday's practice

Jacob Bryson, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, skated with the team and could potentially play against Philadelphia on Saturday. Casey Mittelstadt also practiced for the second straight day, though his return from an upper-body injury will likely wait until Tuesday in Ottawa.
"Casey is such a competitor and he's fearless," Granato said. "That, we love. We have to watch out for him. He needs some practice time. I'm not comfortable putting him in tomorrow. He hasn't had enough practice to me, just watching him today, but he will probably be barking at me to be in that lineup tomorrow."