The Buffalo Sabres have arrived at their most-anticipated season opener in a long time.
Welcome to a world where the Sabres aren’t just a doormat. They’re a playoff contender.
They made it to the second round of the postseason a year ago. They’re hoping to do that or even more this season.
It all starts Thursday night in Columbus against the Blue Jackets before the Sabres return to Buffalo for their home opener.
And after a few different injury scares, it actually seems like the Sabres may be quite healthy to get their season underway.
Morning skate doesn’t always reveal everything, but what Buffalo did on Thursday morning in Columbus bodes well for what the Sabres will look like when they take the ice on Thursday night.
Buffalo Sabres Lines
The Sabres rolled out their four forward lines at morning skate in a relatively exciting structure, with the lines being shared on X by The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn.
The first line:
- Josh Norris
- Tage Thompson
- Josh Doan
That’s not necessarily a group that fans were expecting, but it has a lot of upside.
The second line:
- Zach Benson
- Noah Ostlund
- Jack Quinn
After Benson’s big playoff run, he’ll be trying to hit the ground at full throttle this season. Ostlund is one of the Sabres’ most exciting young players.
The third line:
- Peyton Krebs
- Ryan McLeod
- Konsta Helenius
Krebs and McLeod both had bigger roles than the third line at times last season. But their presence here really just speaks to the leaps made by the younger players ahead of them. And now they’re joined by the exciting Helenius.
The fourth line:
- Jiri Kulich
- Sam Carrick
- Beck Malenstyn
Kulich isn’t necessarily a classic fourth-line player, but it’s good for him to be back at health and getting a chance.
Defense Pairings
The Sabres had two stable defensemen lines, according to Fairburn.
The first pairing:
- Mattias Samuelsson
- Rasmus Dahlin
After it seemed like Samuelsson would miss out due to injury, it seems he might play.
Th second pairing:
- Owen Power
- Louis Crevier
Crevier signed an extension on Thursday and now gets a big spot next to Power.
The Sabres then had Owen Metsa, Dennis Gilbert and Matt Grezelcyk mixing it up as the final pairing, so no telling what the move is there yet.
Sabres Goalie
The Sabres are set to start Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. After a preseason injury scare last Saturday, he’s good to go.
The Sabres also had goalie Alex Lyon dealing with an injury, and if he’s not healthy to back up UPL, it would be Colten Ellis on the bench.
Buffalo Sabres Lines: Forwards, Defensemen, Goalie Set for Blue Jackets Game