The Buffalo Sabres head into their matchup with the Dallas Stars carrying real momentum, but not everybody in the room is feeling comfortable.
Buffalo is chasing a third straight win after twice erasing multi-goal deficits, first in a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday and then again on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, when two third-period goals sent the game to overtime before Owen Power finished it off. Dallas, meanwhile, arrives with a 1-2 record, though the Stars just turned in their cleanest performance yet with a 5-0 win over the San Jose Sharks.
For the Sabres, the task is straightforward: keep the streak going. For a few players, though, this is also a chance to shake off uneven starts and make a stronger case in front of the home crowd.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is one of them. He started Buffalo’s first two games and gave up eight goals against the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks, finishing those outings with a .784 save percentage.
That kind of start is not what he wanted after trying to put last season’s playoff performance behind him. Colten Ellis’ strong showing against Minnesota only adds to the pressure, and with Alex Lyon also nearing a return, Luukkonen does not have many chances to lock down the No. 1 job.
Josh Doan is in a similar spot. Buffalo expected plenty from him after he put up 52 points in his first season with the club last year, and he opened this season on the top line next to Tage Thompson.
But through three games, he still has no points and only four shots on goal. He also appeared to lose his place late in the Minnesota game, logging just one shift and 37 seconds of ice time over the final 17:30 of the third period.
Lindy Ruff said Wednesday that he spoke with Doan and isn’t worried, but he was clear about what he wants to see from him:
"I had a conversation with him today about what made him so effective. Hounding pucks, and being first to the puck, and getting around the net, and tips, and rebounds, and all that."
Josh Norris is facing a comparable spotlight. He, too, began the season on the top line with Thompson, but through three games he has just one point and two shots on goal. Against the Wild, he was moved down and replaced by Peyton Krebs, who immediately helped by assisting on Thompson’s tying goal.
Buffalo kept its third-period line combinations in practice on Wednesday, so Norris could stay on the third line with Ryan McLeod and Konsta Helenius if that setup holds. Either way, the Sabres need more from him soon, and this game against Dallas offers another chance to get moving in the right direction.
In Other News...
Bowen Byram Just Added New Tension To His Sabres Exit
Bowen Byrams departure from Buffalo already carried plenty of intrigue, but his first days with the Chicago Blackhawks have only sharpened the edges of it. The Sabres decided not to move forward with a contract extension for the defenseman, then sent him to Chicago, where he quickly landed a six-year, $75 million deal and got to work at the start of the season.
Buffalo has had to rework its blue line since the trade, piecing together the vacancy in a way that reflects just how significant Byrams exit was. Byram, for his part, recently talked about the move in a way that made clear he viewed it as more than a change of scenery, which only adds another layer to a decision that already left Sabres fans wondering what might have been. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Give Krebs And Kulich Bigger Roles With Scoring At Stake
Peyton Krebs has started to look like more than a useful depth piece for the Sabres. Lindy Ruff has kept Krebs alongside Tage Thompson, and the pairing has already produced better looks in the offensive zone, including a moment when Thompson tied a game on a Krebs assist. Krebs has leaned into the job, saying his priority is finding Thompson in scoring areas, while Ruff has pointed to Krebs steady effort and ability to fill different roles as reasons he keeps getting chances.
Jiri Kulich is part of that same push to squeeze more offense out of Buffalos forward group. The Sabres mostly kept their line combinations intact in practice while making some power-play tweaks, and Kulich has earned more ice time as he gets back into the mix. For a team still searching for scoring consistency, the question is no longer just who can play, but which younger forwards can keep turning those minutes into something the standings will notice. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Have A Real Early Chance To Build Something At Home
The Sabres are back at KeyBank Center for their fourth game of the 2026 season, and this one already feels like a useful early test of where things are headed. Dallas comes in as the next challenge, but Buffalo has spent the first stretch of the schedule sorting out its roster, special teams and lineup health while trying to turn a decent start into something sturdier in front of its own crowd.
There is also some positive momentum building around individual pieces, with the top of the lineup producing and the blue line getting recent contributions that matter in October. The bigger question is whether Buffalo can turn that into a bigger run at home, because a win here would push the club closer to a kind of early-season rhythm it has been chasing and would make this a lot more than just another night on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]