The Sabres may get winger Zach Benson back in the lineup tonight against the Kings. He’s a game-time decision with the lower-body injury that kept him out of the second game of last week’s Global Series against the Devils, head coach Lindy Ruff said today. However, they won’t have John-Jason Peterka’s services for the home opener – he’s been ruled out against L.A. with a concussion.
Buffalo only has 13 forwards on the active roster, including Benson and Peterka. They don’t have any open spots on the 23-man roster, so if Benson can’t go, the Sabres will run 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight. That means Jacob Bryson or Dennis Gilbert could make their season debut after sitting in the press box for both Global Series games.
Injuries up front are the last thing the Sabres need after their offense sputtered against New Jersey, producing just one goal apiece in each contest en route to a pair of multi-goal losses. Peterka, who finished fourth on the team in scoring last season with 50 points (28 G, 22 A) in 82 games, is the far more notable loss in that regard, although the sophomore Benson is a valuable middle-six piece in his own right. Rookie Jiri Kulich, who the Sabres picked up with the No. 28 overall pick in 2022, will skate in Peterka’s place on the top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in just his third career NHL game, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- If there was any doubt, Senators star forwards Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk will play in their season opener tonight after leaving a late preseason game against the Canadiens with upper body injuries, per the team. They’ll reprise their top-line roles with Claude Giroux, who also missed a bit of exhibition action while on personal leave, on their right wing. The Sens host the defending champion Panthers in their first game of the season, which also marks Linus Ullmark’s first regular-season appearance for Ottawa after inking a four-year, $33MM extension yesterday.
- Bruins sophomore center Matthew Poitras remains on IR with an undisclosed injury but is closer to returning, head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters today, including Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe. He shed his no-contact jersey today, and since his IR placement was retroactive to Oct. 3, he’s now eligible to return at any time. The Bruins have an open roster spot for now, so there’s no corresponding transaction necessary to reinstate him. The 20-year-old had 15 points in 33 games for Boston last season before shoulder surgery truncated his campaign.
Watched both those games…
If Markstrom holds up, the Devils are a legit contender.
The problem with BUF is that most of their great players are big (or in the case of Quinn, just slow) and it creates a team that is lumbering overall. They need some speed guys who can carry the puck to mix in.