Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Capitals

WASHINGTON – Jack Quinn joined the Buffalo Sabres for their morning skate at Capital One Arena on Wednesday, marking a step in his ongoing recovery from offseason surgery to repair an injured Achilles tendon.

Quinn was limited to shooting drills and has not yet been cleared for full-contact practices, but his presence among teammates was a sign of his progress.

“It’s nice to see that he’s progressing and certainly nice to see him out on the ice,” Sabres coach Don Granato said.

The Sabres conclude a three-game road trip Wendesday against the Washington Capitals, having split the first two games with a loss in Winnipeg and a win in Chicago.

Coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.

Here are five things to know.

1. Quinn’s recovery

Quinn sustained his injury early in his offseason training. The Sabres announced he had undergone successful surgery on June 29.

The 22-year-old forward said he has been skating on his own for roughly a month.

“Just gradually built up and kind of learned how to skate again and working on mechanics,” he said. “I’d say I’m probably at a point now where I don’t have much restrictions in terms of what I can do out there just by myself.”

The next step, he said, will be to continue joining morning skates with the target of returning to practice a few weeks from now.

Quinn is coming off a rookie season in which he tallied 14 goals and 37 points in 75 games. His 30 even-strength points ranked fourth among NHL rookies.

That the injury delayed his chance to build on that success was disappointing, he said, though he found solace upon learning he would still be able to play this season. He even received frequent encouragement from Capitals forward Max Pacioretty, who has dealt with the same injury.

“I kind of knew right away as soon as I did it,” Quinn said. “So, just disappointed and frustrated, I’d say, but I knew I had some time in the summer to get the first few months out of the way which made it a little bit better and I’m still going to be able to play this year.”

2. Wednesday’s lineup

The Sabres will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second straight game, Granato announced. Tyson Jost will join the lineup up front in place of Peyton Krebs.

Devon Levi is expected to start in goal.

Here’s the full projected lineup based on the morning skate:

FORWARDS

53 Jeff Skinner – 24 Dylan Cozens – 89 Alex Tuch

9 Zach Benson – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 77 JJ Peterka

12 Jordan Greenway – 17 Tyson Jost – 71 Victor Olofsson

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 21 Kyle Okposo

DEFENSEMEN

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 33 Ryan Johnson

25 Owen Power – 10 Henri Jokiharju

75 Connor Clifton – 6 Erik Johnson

23 Mattias Samuelsson

GOALTENDER

27 Devon Levi

3. Johnson’s success

Granato said the decision to dress 11 defensemen was a testament to the play of Ryan Johnson, who has now played seven consecutive games since making his NHL debut in Toronto on Nov. 4. Johnson skated 7:55 alongside Rasmus Dahlin in Chicago on Sunday.

The 22-year-old has been particularly effective in his ability to kill plays defensively and make quick first passes under pressure, Granato said.

“His execution has been really good in that area and helped us quite a bit,” Granato said. “… You don’t know how players will transition to the NHL. That’s one glaring good area among many other good areas.”

4. Hot against Washington

Jost has points in four straight games against the Capitals, including three goals in that span.

Dylan Cozens has five points in his last three games against Washington and nine points in 10 career matchups (4+5).

5. Scouting the Capitals

The Capitals – historically one of the NHL’s premier offenses during the Alex Ovechkin era – have rode their defensive play to an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games entering Wednesday.

Washington is 23-for-23 on the penalty kill during that 10-game run. Their season average of 2.67 goals allowed per game ranks sixth in the NHL.

The Capitals rank 31st in goals per game (2.47) and last on the power play (7.0 percent) but rank third in the Metropolitan Division standings at 9-4-2.

“They’ve been very opportunistic, and I say that in a complimentary way,” Granato said. “They’re ready. They’re ready to take advantage of situations that present. They work hard in the process.”