Rookie Nathan Gerbe, the pint-sized winger who was hoping to provide an offensive boost and a much-needed spark while the Buffalo Sabres battled through injury problems, was sent back to AHL Portland on Friday morning.

Gerbe had no goals, one assist and was plus-3 in six games with the Sabres. He missed six other games with a rib injury and was a healthy scratch for Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff wanted to get Gerbe more seasoning with the Pirates rather than give him limited ice time in Buffalo.

“He needs to play, and he needs to play a lot,” Ruff said. “With the makeup of the lines, with him not being in the top three [lines], it’s not a position for him to be playing. I had a good discussion with him. I think his game has a ways to go, but he did a lot of good things. The energy he brought to the game was a real good thing for us.”

Gerbe had 14 goals and 24 points in 21 games with the Pirates before making his NHL debut Dec. 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 5-foot-6, 160- pound winger had problems generating scoring chances, although he had two against the Washington Capitals before losing his spot in the lineup.

The Sabres could have elected to send Matt Ellis down to Portland, but he would have needed to clear waivers. Ellis skated on a line Friday morning with Daniel Paille, who was fine after taking a shot off his ankle Thursday, and Maxim Afinogenov.

The Sabres’ decision to return Gerbe to Portland was based partly on their anticipation of having veteran center Tim Connolly and captain Craig Rivet back in the lineup.

Connolly is recovering from a broken rib and hasn’t played since Nov. 14, two days after he was rocked by St. Louis winger Keith Tkachuk. He has two goals and seven points in six games this season but has been riddled with injuries the past two-plus seasons.

Rivet has been battling shoulder problems. He hasn’t played since Dec. 10 against the Lightning and has missed 17 games this season with knee and shoulder injuries. The Sabres will likely send rookie defenseman Chris Butler, who has played well in seven games this season, back to Portland when Rivet is ready.

The game this afternoon is the second of 10 road games the Sabres will play in January. They return home for two games next week before playing nine of 10 games on the road overall. It includes a Feb. 2 meeting with Anaheim as part of a four-game road trip against Western Conference teams after the NHL All-Star break.