Olofsson sustained his injury during the sequence that led to Sam Reinhart's game-tying goal in the third period against Edmonton on Thursday. Olofsson got the edge of his skate caught in a rut on the ice as he turned to pass back to Zach Bogosian at the point, forcing him to fall awkwardly on his right leg.
The winger has been a fixture on the team's top scoring line alongside Eichel and Sam Reinhart this season. His season totals of 16 goals and 34 points lead league rookies and rank second on the Sabres. He was named NHL Rookie of the Month for the second time on Thursday.
The Sabres were already without forward Jeff Skinner, whose recovery timetable was set at three to four weeks after sustaining an upper-body injury last Friday. Vladimir Sobotka (knee) and Tage Thompson (upper body) are both out indefinitely.
Krueger liked what he saw from Asplund playing alongside Eichel and Reinhart in the third period against the Oilers. Asplund has become a trusted defensive presence since earning his first career recall in mid-November, a factor that Krueger said makes him a fit to fill in for Olofsson.
"There's a defensive component to that position, releasing Jack and Sam with the confidence that who's playing with them is going to cover, too, and they cover for each other," Krueger said. "What we're seeing in Asplund's game is that two-way awareness and the ability, very quickly, to also involve himself in the offense which he's still growing daily in front of our eyes here. But we really enjoyed seeing what we did in the end stretch of the game yesterday with him."
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