5 takeaways | Tokarski replaces injured Hutton in loss to Rangers

Carter Hutton left with an early injury and a third-period comeback fell short during a 5-3 loss for the Buffalo Sabres against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
Sabres interim head coach Don Granato did not have a postgame update regarding Hutton, who sustained his injury after a collision with Rangers forward Julien Gauthier 2:53 into the contest. The goaltender limped off the ice with the assistance of trainers and did not return.
Dustin Tokarski entered the game in place of Hutton and allowed four goals on 37 shots. The Sabres erased a 3-1 deficit early in the third period on the strength of goals from Dylan Cozens and Jeff Skinner, but a power-play goal from Chris Kreider - his second of the game - put the Rangers ahead for good, extending the Sabres' winless streak to 14 games (0-12-2).
Here are five takeaways.

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1. Tokarski steps in

Tokarski played his first NHL game since Oct. 28, 2016. He bounced around between six AHL clubs since, winning the Calder Cup as a member of the Charlotte Checkers in 2019.
The Sabres signed Tokarski to a one-year deal during the offseason, adding veteran depth to the organizational pipeline. He made two starts with Rochester early this season but had spent recent weeks practicing with the taxi squad in Buffalo.
"I got to say, it was a lot of fun," Tokarski said of his return to the NHL. "It's been a little while, I've had some ups and down the in the last four, five years. But it's a been a good few years. I'm excited to be a part of Buffalo and get the opportunity to play in a game."

2. Looking ahead in net

The Sabres have three healthy goaltenders under contract in the event Hutton has to miss time: Tokarski, Michael Houser, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Sabres acquired a sixth-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Jonas Johansson on Saturday.
Houser, 28, signed a one-year deal on Friday after spending the beginning of the season in Rochester. He spent the last two seasons starting for Buffalo's ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones. His professional resume includes 255 games in the ECHL and 75 in the AHL (including playoffs).
Luukkonen, 22, is in his second professional season after being drafted by the Sabres during the second round in 2017. He is 5-2-1 with a .904 save percentage in eight games with Rochester this season.
Linus Ullmark is traveling with the Sabres but will need to reintegrate into practices before getting the nod for game action. Ullmark has missed the past 12 games with a lower-body injury.

3. Sabres make a push

The Rangers took control of the game after Rasmus Asplund opened the scoring for the Sabres early in the second period. Shots in the period were 17-8 in favor of New York, fueled in part by a 5-on-3 power play on which Kreider scored the go-ahead goal. It was a 3-1 game by the time the teams left the ice for the second intermission.
Buffalo fought its way back early in the third. Cozens cut the deficit in half just 1:09 into the period, then a quick counter from Brandon Montour set up a breakaway goal by Skinner 3:13 later.

Casey Mittelstadt took a high-sticking penalty less than a minute after Skinner's goal, setting up Kreider's winner on the power play. But Granato felt the late push was a step in the right direction after upping the tempo during his first practices as interim coach.
"They kept a pace that showed you they believed," he said. "They were quick to pucks and determined at pucks which means they believe that if they give that and they do that, the reward's gonna follow. So, the body language I thought was great and it needs to continue, obviously."

4. Asplund, Cozens score in return to lineup

Asplund and Cozens both returned to the lineup after varying absences. Asplund has been a healthy scratch the past two games; Cozens had missed four games with an upper-body injury.
Asplund scored after linemate Riley Sheahan tossed the puck into the paint from behind the net. Asplund kicked the puck out in front and jammed it in past goaltender Keith Kinkaid.

Cozens' goal was his fourth of the season. The rookie intercepted an attempted breakout pass by defenseman K'Andre Miller, quickly passed low to Reinhart, and then dashed to the net to bury the return feed.

Asplund and Cozens entered the lineup in place of Kyle Okposo and Tobias Rieder. Okposo did not travel with the Sabres to New York due to an injury sustained during practice on Sunday. Rieder was a healthy scratch.

5. Up next

The Sabres visit Pittsburgh for back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday.
"The challenge that's facing us is exactly what we need," Granato said. "We need to now make sure it makes us better, and that comes from us on the coaching side and I believe we have enough leadership in there that they'll accept that as a challenge as we present it to them."