The Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 season did not get off to a great start.
Thursday night's home opener against the New York Rangers ended in a 4-0 loss, as they were unable to put anything past Igor Shesterkin despite throwing 37 shots on net.
While the end result was far from ideal, the health of star center Josh Norris was even more of a concern in the aftermath.
Norris appeared to get hurt on a late-game faceoff and was unable to return. Head coach Lindy Ruff didn't seem very confident about the injury being minor when asked during his postgame media availability, and on Friday, the news hasn't gotten much better.
Buffalo continues to wait for the results of further evaluation to come in, though team reporter Chad DeDominicis shared that he's hearing the upper body ailment could lead to a lengthy absence.
"Early feedback on Norris is they’re expecting him to miss a few weeks at least. Evaluations will determine the exact timeline. Maybe the results are better than they anticipate and not worse," DeDominicis wrote.
Early feedback on Norris is they’re expecting him to miss a few weeks at least.
— Chad DeDominicis (@CMDeDominicis) October 10, 2025
Evaluations will determine the exact timeline. Maybe the results are better than they anticipate and not worse.
The 26-year-old had just begun the fourth season of the eight-year, $63.6 million extension he signed with the Senators back in 2022. He was, of course, acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent Dylan Cozens to Ottawa at last year's deadline.
Injuries mounting in Buffalo
We are just one game into the season, and the injuries are already piling up for the Buffalo Sabres.
Norris (upper body) now joins Ukko-Pekka Luukonen (lower body), Zach Benson (face), Jordan Greenway (lower body), and Michael Kesslering (undisclosed) on the shelf.
In better news, Owen Power (illness) will join the team on their trip to Boston and is expected to be an option to play.
Things certainly haven't gone according to plan thus far in Buffalo, but they'll have to persevere and try to get their first win of the season on Saturday night against the Bruins.