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Sabres’ Timmins out 6-8 weeks with broken leg, Kozak also leaves game with upper-body injury

Scott Maxwell
Dec 18, 2025, 22:56 ESTUpdated: Dec 18, 2025, 23:01 EST
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Conor Timmins (21) skates during the warmup period before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Sabres took two blows to their lineup on Thursday, as forward Tyson Kozak and defenseman Conor Timmins left their 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers with injuries, with Timmins injury revealed to be a broken leg that will keep him out for 6-8 weeks.

Timmins left the game late in the third period after he had slipped and fell awkwardly on the ice. He needed help off the ice, went to the locker room and did not return to the game after the incident. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed after the game that he broke his leg.

Timmins hadn’t missed a game this season prior to the injury, but he was considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury heading into the game before ending up in the lineup. Timmins has six assists in 33 games so far this season.

Kozak sustained an upper-body injury at some point of Thursday’s game, although the cause of the injury is not known. He was held to just seven shifts in the game, including a couple instances of shifts around five minutes apart, before he departed midway through the second period. The team confirmed his absence from the game at the start of the third period.

Kozak has already dealt with injuries a couple times this season, as he missed five games in late October and early November with a lower-body injury and three games in early December with an undisclosed injury, only returning to the lineup last week. It’s unclear if his upper-body injury is related to the undisclosed injury he just recovered from.

When he’s been healthy, Kozak has two goals and two assists for four points in 24 games, and is just one point shy of tying his point total from his debut season last year.

The Sabres currently sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 15-14-4 record and are five points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo will look to extend their four-game winning streak when they host the New York Islanders on Saturday at 5 p.m. EST.