The Sabres are set to get a familiar boost back Wednesday against the Flyers, and it comes in a package Buffalo has missed: scoring touch, net-front grit and veteran calm.
Jason Zucker, who sat out training camp and the first nine games while rehabbing from August sports hernia surgery, is ready to make his season debut and begin his third year in Buffalo. The 34-year-old winger brings a résumé the Sabres can use right away. Since the start of 2024-25, Zucker has 45 goals, third most on the team, and his 21 power-play goals in that span lead Buffalo.
That kind of production is exactly why the Sabres have been leaning on his return to help a forward group that’s still searching for more punch beyond its dependable second line.
“A guy that’s played well for us. Tops of the circles-down, around the net front.
He’s been great at tipping goals and second opportunities. Been good on the power play for us," coach Lindy Ruff said after Tuesday’s practice at LECOM Harborcenter.
Zucker’s spot at practice pointed to a likely third-line assignment with Josh Norris and Konsta Helenius. That pairing already has history, and it’s a promising one.
In the playoff series against Montreal, Zucker and Helenius connected repeatedly on rush chances, building chemistry that eventually paid off. Helenius’ first look was stopped, his second caromed off the post, and his third slipped past Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes for insurance in Game 6.
“He passed to me the first two times, I didn’t score, so I was surprised that he passed to me a third time,” Helenius recalled. “He’s a smart player and he makes smart plays on the ice, so it’s easy to play with him.”
For Helenius, the value of Zucker goes beyond the box score. He pointed to the little things - the constant chatter, the quick instructions, the sense that his veteran linemate is always a step ahead.
“He’s talking a lot on the ice. Just small things.
Like before a shift, before practice, he tells me what he wants me to do and where he’ll be. If I’m in trouble with the puck, he will be there, and he helps me,” Helenius continued.
“You see that he’s been in the league a long time, because he knows all the things, and he helps young players.”
Buffalo’s power play, which sits last in the league, should also get a lift from Zucker’s return. He worked with the second unit during Tuesday’s practice in his usual spot right around the net, and Ruff said a move to the top unit could happen soon. The Sabres know what he can do there: battle for loose pucks, create chaos at the crease and finish in close.
No matter where he lines up, Zucker has a reputation for bringing juice to the rink and to the game, and Ruff knows the reaction that tends to follow when he scores.
“Some of those older guys, they just don’t know whether they’re ever gonna score again,” Ruff joked, “so they get pretty excited.”
Helenius, meanwhile, is still trying to find another gear.
The 2024 first-round pick has one goal and one assist through eight games while averaging 13:45 of ice time, and he was a healthy scratch for the Oct. 10 loss to Utah. He said the night out of the lineup stuck with him.
“One game out of the lineup, that means that you’ve got to do something differently, you’ve got to play better,” Helenius said. “You’ve got to move on, but you have it back of your mind that you want to be a better player, you want to help the team.”
Ruff had already said he wanted more compete from Helenius, and the coach delivered that message again in a loud way during a 5-on-5 drill at Monday’s practice. Helenius said he welcomed the honesty.
“He’s a great coach, and I like when they’re honest with you,” Helenius reacted.
The organization still believes the upside is there. GM Jarmo Kekäläinen said Tuesday on WGR that Helenius’ playoff work against Montreal raised the bar for what’s expected now.
“Konsta Helenius was excellent in the playoffs, and the expectations are higher this year, now that we’ve seen what he could do in the most important part of the year, in the playoffs against Montreal,” Kekäläinen said Tuesday in an appearance on WGR. “He hasn’t gotten off to a start that he wants to, but we - as a team, as management, coaches - believe that he will.”
Tuesday’s practice also offered a few other clues about Buffalo’s immediate plans. Colten Ellis was in the starter’s net, a strong indication he’ll get the nod against the Flyers. Ellis last played Oct. 12 against Florida and was pulled after giving up two goals in 26 minutes.
Sam Carrick, dealing with a middle-body injury, and Justin Danforth, nursing an upper-body injury, were both out and are listed day to day, Ruff said.
Alex Lyon, who has an upper-body injury, is “improving,” according to Ruff, but his status for Buffalo’s upcoming four-game road trip remains uncertain. The Sabres leave Friday for Washington, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles.
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