Not much has gone right for the Buffalo Sabres this season, but on Wednesday they got some rare good news, with the return of Ryan O'Reilly to practice.
The Sabres forward has been sidelined for the past eight days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. Initially the injury was expected to keep O'Reilly out of the lineup for two to three weeks, and that's still a possibility, but returning so quickly to practice is certainly a good sign.
O'Reilly has battled injuries all season and has already missed ten games, but is still the Sabres fourth leading scorer (7G, 11A).
O'Reilly centered a line with Derek Grant and Brian Gionta at practice on Wednesday and lined up with the Sabres first power play unit. According to Paul Hamilton from WGR 550, O'Reilly even got physical in battle drills in front of the net, something players usually don't do until they've had a few practices under their belt.
When O'Reilly returns to the lineup remains uncertain, but returning to practice is a step in the right direction. The Sabres next take on the Chicago Blackhawks on the road Thursday night.
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