Sabres' Michael Kesselring: Likely to return Tuesday

Head coach Lindy Ruff said Monday that he anticipates Kesselring (lower body) playing Tuesday against the Blue Jackets, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

The Sabres will wait to see how Kesselring fares during Tuesday's morning skate before officially determining his status, but he appears to be trending toward making his regular-season debut. The 25-year-old appeared in all 82 regular-season games for Utah last year, recording seven goals, 22 assists, 87 hits, 67 blocked shots and 89 PIM while averaging 17:41 of ice time.