Okposo practices, Hutton to be re-evaluated following D.C. road trip

Kyle Okposo joined the Sabres for practice on Thursday while goaltender Carter Hutton was absent after taking an elbow to the head from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov on Tuesday.
Hutton began feeling effects of the hit during the second intermission of the game against the Flyers and did not return for the third period. Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said the goaltender is day-to-day and will not join the team for its two-game series in Washington.
"We'll assess him when we get back," Krueger said. "It's important he gets some rest."

Linus Ullmark practiced with the team after missing the past two games following the unexpected passing of his father, which he detailed here. Jonas Johansson will be the other active goaltender on the trip while Dustin Tokarski will also travel after being recalled to taxi squad.
Okposo has missed the first four games with a lower-body injury he sustained during the team's intrasquad scrimmage on Jan. 10. He will travel with the team to Washington.
"Definitely back to, I'd say, 100 percent health-wise or close to it," Okposo said. "We'll see about tomorrow. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to be in. I haven't practiced with the team, but we'll take it from there."
Here's how the Sabres lined up at practice:
4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
68 Victor Olofsson - 12 Eric Staal - 72 Tage Thompson
13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 24 Dylan Cozens / 21 Kyle Okposo
53 Jeff Skinner - 27 Curtis Lazar - 15 Riley Sheahan / 37 Casey Mittelstadt
19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
62 Brandon Montour - 10 Henri Jokiharju
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 33 Colin Miller
44 Matt Irwin - 3 William Borgen
35 Linus Ullmark
34 Jonas Johansson

Sabres to face shorthanded Capitals

Washington was fined $100,000 on Wednesday for violating COVID-19 protocols, which resulted in forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov, and goaltender Ilya Samsonov being placed on the COVID-related absence list. Coach Peter Laviolette said all four players are quarantining and are expected to miss at least the next four games.
The NHL said in its statement that the Capitals' violations "involved social interactions among team members who were in close contact and who were not wearing face coverings." In a team-issued statement, the Capitals said the interaction occurred in a player's hotel room.

Sabres captain Jack Eichel withheld comment on the Capitals' situation but did discuss how his own team has tried to manage protocols.
"I think the onus is on the guys," Eichel said. "We've had conversations internally within the locker room and the staff and management. A lot of it obviously lies on us."
The Sabres' first road trip of the season was a back-to-back set of games in Philadelphia, leaving little room for down time. Their trip in Washington features games on Friday and Sunday with a practice day in between.
"The management of that is a challenge," Krueger said. "But the guys have been doing a good job with it. We have spoken about it openly as a team. You want to make sure you're not watching three movies in the afternoon. You've got to get out. We're allowed to get out and get fresh air, we just have to stay out of commercial spaces. So, you know, just recommending guys to get out, get walks. They can take walks at social distances together.
"You've just got to get creative in this situation to keep … not only your body fresh, but your head and your minds so that you're just not locking yourself up in the room."
The Sabres and Capitals open their series at 7 p.m. on Friday. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30.