Sabres' Kaleta will play Thursday vs. Wild after year-long absence
Timothy T. Ludwig / USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Sabres will have some added punch in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild.
Head coach Ted Nolan announced Wednesday that bruiser Patrick Kaleta will suit up after missing more than a year of NHL game action due to suspension and injury.
Kaleta appeared in five games last season before being suspended for 10 following a hit on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson on Oct. 10.
Subsequently placed on waivers and assigned to the AHL, Kaleta tore his ACL and missed the rest of the 2014-15 season.
The 28-year-old amassed 51 points and 506 penalty minutes in 306 career games with the Sabres.