Buffalo Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner has experienced a setback in his recovery from a high-ankle sprain suffered in Buffalo’s season opener against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 8.
Lehner was acquired from the Senators at the 2015 NHL Draft, and was expected to get his first full season as a starter for a rebuilding Sabres squad this year.
He left his debut in the second period, and has since suffered a setback while skating as reported by Sportsnet analyst Damien Cox during Hockey Night In Canada’s “Headlines” segment.
He was drafted 46th overall in 2009 and became one of Ottawa’s top goaltending prospects, but could not wrestle the starting job away from Craig Anderson, and the emergence of Andrew Hammond made Lehner expendable.
The 24-year-old will take some time to get back in shape once he does recover fully, and can possibly be ready to play by mid-January.
The Sabres have been using a tandem of Chad Johnson and Linus Ullmark in Lehner’s absence and came into Saturday night tied for the second-lowest point total of any NHL team.
