Preseason begins tonight for the Buffalo Sabres as they make their annual visit to Pegula Ice Arena to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m.
Among the marquis names to hit the ice for the Sabres tonight will be captain Jack Eichel, 40-goal scorer Jeff Skinner and 2018 first-overall pick, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Joining that star-studded trio will be forward Jimmy Vesey along with defensemen Colin Miller and Henri Jokiharju, all three of whom were traded for in the off season. Also on the ice will be 2019 first round pick, forward Dylan Cozens.
The Sabres had 52 players at training camp (28 forwards, 18 defensemen and six goalies,) four of which are on the injured list--defensemen Zach Bogosian, Matt Hunwick and Lawrence Pilut plus goaltender Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen. They were broken into two groups, Blue and Gold, with the Gold Group first up tonight and the Blue Group set to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena tomorrow night.
Buffalo also has a new head coach in Ralph Kruger and staff that includes returning assistant coach Steve Smith, who will be in charge of the defense. Assistant coach Don Granato is in charge of the forward group and join those two on the bench with goalie coach Mike Bales up in the press box.
Krueger and Co. used the following lines at practice and one would be inclined to think that these would remain intact for tonight:
Vesey - Eichel - Conor Sheary
Skinner - Evan Rodrigues - Curtis Lazar
Remi Elie - Cozens - Tage Thompson
Zemgus Girgensons - Johan Larsson - Andrew Oglivie
Eric Cornel and Sean Malone had been skating with this group but were not on the announced roster.
The Gold Group defense from over the weekend has been shuffled with Rasmus Ristolainen and Jacob Bryson out in favor of Casey Nelson and Brandon Hickey. The pairing of Marco Scandella and Colin Miller looks to be set with Dahlin, Jokiharju and John Gilmour rounding out the group.
In net tonight will be Jonas Johansson and Carter Hutton.
Some names to watch:
Cozens--Buffalo's 2019 first round pick had a strong Prospects Challenge and gets his first shot at play versus NHL-caliber competition.
Thompson--The 6'6" winger added 15 lbs. over the summer and has added over 30 lbs. to his frame since being drafted 26th-overall in 2016. Thompson should make a strong push for the big club and it starts tonight with Cozens as his center.
Jokiharju--Was very strong at the Challenge with his fluid skating and deft puck-movement on display. No reason we shouldn't see more of that tonight.
Lazar--Is getting another shot to make an impression. The former first-rounder felt he was rushed into the NHL as a 19 yr. old and is still recovering from that. Being with Skinner and Rodrigues should give him ample opportunities at proving he's more than a checking-line forward.
Dahlin--Just because.
Scandella/Miller--If Krueger goes with this pairing tonight, they should dominate. Both are big, mobile skaters with plenty of experience and puck-moving abilities but chemistry will be a key issue. Of particular note, watch Miller on the powerplay with his booming shot from the point.
Johansson--The 23 yr. old netminder had a strong Challenge and needs to continue that through camp. He'll be in Rochester this season battling Andrew Hammond for starts while Luukkonen recovers from off season hip surgery.
None of Pittsburgh's star player will be on the ice tonight, according to this roster release from Penguins.com:
Forwards
Andrew Agozzino
Zach Auston-Reese
Teddy Blueger
Ryan Haggerty
Adam Johnson
Sam Lafferty
Nathan Legare
Sam Miletic
Oula Palve
Samuel Poulin
Bryan Rust
Dominik Simon
Defensemen
Calen Addison
Kevin Czuczman
Jack Johnson
Pierre-Olivier Joseph
John Marino
Juuso Riikola
Chad Ruhwedel
Goaltenders
Casey DeSmith
Tristan Jarry
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