Craig Anderson participated in practice for the first time since leaving the team's session due to an injury last Friday. He did not dress for the Sabres' win over the New York Islanders on Saturday.
Sabres coach Don Granato said he expects Anderson to play in the season finale against the Blackhawks - hopefully with Okposo in the lineup as well.
"We want them to play and they're right on that cusp," Granato said.
Okposo was announced Monday as Buffalo's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.
Okposo was nominated by the Buffalo chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. Nominees are selected from each of the NHL's 32 clubs before being whittled down to a group of three finalists. The winner will be revealed at the 2022 NHL Awards show.
"It means a lot," Okposo said. "I love the game. I love it here. And I try and show that every day through how I act and how I interact with people. To be recognized for something like that, it's definitely special."
Okposo has 21 goals and 45 points in 74 games, the highest totals of his six-year Sabres tenure. He has served as the Sabres' leader on the ice and in the dressing room alongside fellow alternate captain Zemgus Girgensons.
"This is the most fun that I've had playing hockey in Buffalo and the group of guys is a huge reason why," he said. "We've got a lot of young players who are so enthusiastic and it's been a lot of fun."
Buffalo's final road game of the season will have implications in the standings. Boston is fighting to catch Tampa Bay for the third seed in the Atlantic Division and intends to ice its full lineup on Thursday, coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters.
It's welcome news for the Sabres, who are treating every contest as a growth opportunity heading into the offseason. They carry a four-game winning streak into their meeting with the Bruins.
"I'm glad to hear that they are playing their full lineup and it is a meaningful game for them because, very least, it's going to push us," Granato said. "It's going to push us to be better. It presents a challenge for us … Our guys want to be challenged because they know it's going to make them better."
The Sabres treated their final practice of the season as any other, trickling onto the ice some 25 minutes before the scheduled 11 a.m. start time.
"That's not normal for this time of year but it's the norm around here," Okposo said. "And that's all that matters, is what we do as a group and how we act. I think that the other guys would definitely like this to extend another month or two, but it wasn't meant to be. So, we're going to enjoy the last few days."
The group lined up as follows:
| April 27 |
| --- |
| | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 19 Peyton Krebs | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 74 Rasmus Asplund | 24 Dylan Cozens | 15 John Hayden |
| 96 Anders Bjork | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza |
| | 20 Cody Eakin | |
| LD | RD | G |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 31 Dustin Tokarski |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
| 4 Will Butcher / 33 Colin Miller | 13 Mark Pysyk | |
