Blackhawks defenseman Gustav Forsling is expected to play Friday night against the Sabres in Buffalo after missing eight games with an upper-torso injury.
Chicago activated the 22-year-old off injury reserve Friday. He has two goals and four assists in 19 NHL games this season while playing on the second or third line.
The Blackhawks currently has seven active defensemen on its roster: Forsling, Carl Dahlstrom, Erik Gustafsson, Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy and Brent Seabrook.
Chicago assigned rookie blue liner Henri Jokiharju to the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL on Thursday. The 19-year-old has no goals and 12 assists and a team-high 54.1 Corsi For percentage in 37 NHL games this season. He also had two goals and three assists in seven games during the Finnish men’s national team’s gold-medal run at the World Junior Championship earlier this month.
Friday’s game marks the first of two meetings between the Blackhawks and Sabres. The two teams will meet again March 7 in Chicago.