The Buffalo Sabres didn’t get the opening night they wanted, but Saturday gives them a fast chance to wipe the slate clean.
After a 6-3 loss in Columbus to start the season, Buffalo returns home for its opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at KeyBank Center. The crowd should be loud, the energy should be there, and the Sabres have a chance to grab their first win of the 2026-27 season if they clean up the details that sank them in Game 1.
The biggest issue in Columbus started at the back end. Ukko‑Pekka Luukkonen got the opening-night start and wasn’t sharp, allowing five goals on 22 shots. It wasn’t all on him, but the overall performance was shaky enough to leave the Sabres with a real decision to make about whether he gets another turn or Colten Ellis gets the nod instead.
Lindy Ruff has long preferred to ride the hot hand, and early in a season, that approach can matter. Buffalo needs someone in goal who can settle in quickly and help set the tone.
The defense has to clean things up, too. That means more than just the blue line; it includes the forwards, who have to help keep the structure intact.
Columbus took advantage every time Buffalo’s coverage slipped. Three of the five goals Luukkonen allowed came on deflections because the Sabres didn’t tie up sticks or clear bodies in front.
The clearest example came on Sean Monahan’s power-play goal in the third period, when four Sabres were around him and nobody got a stick on his or stepped into the lane, leaving a clean deflection that pushed Columbus back to a two-goal lead.
Buffalo also got burned on a chance from point-blank range when new Blue Jacket Matthew Knies found space in the penalty kill and finished a high-danger look for his first goal with the franchise. That kind of loose coverage won’t cut it.
There is some help on the way, though. Ruff said Olen Zellweger is set to make his Sabres debut, which should give the blue line a boost. Even so, the group as a whole has to be tighter.
Special teams were just as costly in the opener. The power play went 0-for-5, and that included a full two-minute 5-on-3.
That’s not the kind of return Buffalo can live with from a unit that has this much firepower. The first group alone features Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Konsta Helenius, Zach Benson, and Josh Norris, and that’s a collection built to swing games.
Helenius came close to scoring on the man advantage, but the opportunity had already expired 10 earlier. Still, the chances were there, and Buffalo didn’t cash in.
The penalty kill wasn’t much better. Columbus scored twice on three opportunities, and both goals came from Blue Jackets players finding soft spots in the slot and finishing cleanly.
The structure was off, and the coverage broke at the wrong moments. If the Sabres want to rebound Saturday, that part of the game has to look a lot more like the reliable unit they had last season.
Buffalo also needs its top players to show up. It’s only one game into the season, so nobody is sounding alarms yet, but a home opener is the kind of night when stars can tilt the mood fast. A goal, an assist, or even a dominant shift from Thompson or Dahlin would give the building a jolt.
Helenius scoring in his debut and the middle six contributing were both encouraging signs. If that support is paired with Thompson and Dahlin playing at full speed, Buffalo becomes a much harder team to handle.
The scheduling setup also works in the Sabres’ favor. Chicago will be playing its third game in five days, all on the road, and Buffalo has to make that count.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET.
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