The goalie hadn't played since Nov. 2, when he sustained an upper-body injury in a 5-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks. He rejoined the Sabres at practice for the first time Jan. 21 in a no-contact jersey and practiced in a regular jersey Thursday.
"There's no pressure to return]," Anderson said Thursday. "When the time is right, the time is right. We're all competitors. I'm a competitor. My job is to get better and get out there and play, and I want to play. I think that's the best thing, is the mentality of wanting to play. But on the other side of it, you have to be honest with yourself."
Anderson is 4-2-0 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in six games this season. His return is a boost for the Sabres, who faced the prospect of being without their top six goalies when they played the Coyotes.
"He made it clear that he would be ready," Sabres coach Don Granato said Saturday. "He's been hungry. He knows what he's doing. It's been a long road back. I don't think any time he's jumping in, it's going to be easy, but he's hungry. He wants to get in."
Even with Anderson returning, the Sabres were shorthanded against the Coyotes.
Defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju, and forwards Rasmus Asplund and Victor Olofsson did not participate in the morning skate after testing positive for COVID-19. After retesting, only Jokiharju was able to play against Arizona.
"We've had an ongoing situation," Granato said. "We had several players and staff members combined test positive this morning. Every one of those is retesting and the only one that we've gotten back has returned negative. So, obviously a pretty active situation, because I can tell you all of these tests have gone through [and] everybody feels fine. So, we're hoping to get more negatives back but, at this point, one test has come back. It is negative. That's good news. Because of that, we're in a wait-and-see situation. [General manager Kevyn Adams is] in contact and will remain in contact with the League on this. And we'll take it as it goes. Really minute by minute."
Goalie
[Michael Houser
, who was expected to start at least one of the next two games -- Saturday, or at the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday -- was placed in COVID-19 protocol Friday.
He was the only Buffalo goalie with an NHL contract available heading into the weekend after Aaron Dell was suspended three games Wednesday for interference against Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson in a 5-0 loss Tuesday. Dell was placed on waivers Saturday.
The Sabres signed Houser on Jan. 12, one day after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) and Malcolm Subban (upper body) were injured in a 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Houser (2-0-0, 2.00 goals-against average, .948 save percentage) had signed a contract with Rochester of the American Hockey League.
Luukkonen is week to week and has yet to return to practice. Subban had surgery Jan. 20 and is out for the season.
Dustin Tokarski is recovering from the effects of COVID-19 and was a full participant at practice Friday for a second straight day. He traveled for the three-game road trip but it's unclear when he will be ready to play.
"It's a day-to-day thing," Tokarski said. "As everyone's been telling you, I wish we could give you more. But that's actually the honest truth with it. Some days you feel something, some days you don't. We're working together with the doctors and coaches and staff to make up a plan that is good for everyone, good for the team, good for myself healthwise."
Mat Robson and Charles Williams are the goalies on the Rochester roster. Neither has played an NHL game nor has an NHL contract.
NHL.com independent correspondent Alan Robinson contributed to this report
