The Canucks squeaked out a 4-3 overtime victory over the Sabres without Hronek, but that was more of a gutsy, bend-but-don’t-break performance that leaned heavily on goaltending rather than a sustainable formula.

The Vancouver Canucks are expected to be without their second best defenceman for some time, but as of now, the club has no official timeline for his injury.

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said that defenseman Rasmus Dahlin left practice for some maintenance and that it shouldn’t affect him for today.

Head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters Friday that Filip Hronek is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury and there is no timeline on his return. This news follows a report on Thursday from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Hronek would be out for “a while” as he recovers.

Vancouver Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek is injured and it sounds like he's going to be out for a couple of weeks at least.

After going down 5-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Vancouver Canucks almost put together a comeback, but fell just short losing 5-4. Before the conclusion of

Hronek's potential absence leaves a massive hole in the Canucks lineup. The right-shot defenceman is averaging 23:36 per game and has formed one of the best duos in the league with Quinn Hughes. Hronek also plays a crucial role on the penalty kill, while his nine points rank second among Vancouver's defensemen this season.

The Vancouver Canucks could be without Filip Hronek for the foreseeable future. Hronek, the Canucks top-pairing defenseman, took a hard hit from Jack St.

The hope: Adversity makes you stronger, or so the saying goes. Without J.T. Miller and Thatcher Demko on this road trip — and one-game absences for Quinn Hughes (basically) and Brock Boeser — the Canucks are still 2-1 on their eastern swing. Can they channel that energy again?

One defender who should see more minutes in Hronek's absence is Erik Brännström. While Brännström is left-handed, he can play on both sides and should see an increase in power play time. A puck-moving defenceman who has six points in 18 games this season, Brännström should see more than his season average of 14:56 against Buffalo.

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet says that there is no timeline on a return for defenseman Filip Hronek as he is still being evaluated. Hronek has racked up nine points in 21 games this season while playing on the top defensive unit with Canucks captain,