Buffalo Sabres defenseman Conor Timmins, injured in the team’s final preseason game, will make his regular-season debut on Friday against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets.
Timmins, 28, sustained a lower-body injury on Sept. 26 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and missed the Sabres’ first 15 games. He rejoined the team for practice on Monday and was on the third defensive pairing with Zach Metsa at Friday’s morning skate.
“Game speed is different than practice speed, but we knew what he brought with us last year, when we were killing penalties,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of Timmins. “He was one of our better guys with his reads and his clears.”
Timmins had eight assists for eight points as well as 18 penalty minutes, 81 blocks and 29 hits in playing only 39 games due to injury last season — his first with Buffalo.
For his career, Timmins has 54 points (six goals, 48 assists), a plus-13 rating, 82 penalty minutes, 248 blocks and 166 hits in 198 regular-season games for the Colorado Avalanche (2019-21), Arizona Coyotes (2021-22), Toronto Maple Leafs (2022-25), Penguins (2025) and Sabres.
Pittsburgh traded Timmins to Buffalo in June of 2025, and he signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract one month later. Colorado selected Timmins in the second round (32nd overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Buffalo forward Jiri Kulich also will return Friday after being sidelined for five games with a concussion sustained after being hit in the face with a puck at practice on Oct. 23. Kulich was on the forward line with Josh Norris and Jason Zucker at the morning skate on Friday.
Kulich, 22, has not played since a 3-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 21. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in eight games this season.
Buffalo picked the native of the Czech Republic with the 28th overall selection of the 2022 draft.