"Left winger Chris Kunitz is listed as probable for the game tonight against Buffalo at Consol Energy Center.

That's not surprising.

Where he will be used if he returns against the Sabres is. At least a little.

Coach Dan Bylsma said Monday that Kunitz, who has missed the past 13 games because of an undisclosed injury, likely would be deployed on a line with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy, moving into a spot generally filled by Matt Cooke. He did not elaborate on where Cooke would be used.

Although the Cooke-Staal-Kennedy line has been consistently effective when called upon the past couple of seasons, Bylsma noted that Staal and Kunitz played together after the latter was acquired from Anaheim in 2009 and meshed almost instantly.

"He played with Jordan Staal when he first got here for a number of games and had success there," Bylsma said. "He's a good fit.""