The Buffalo Sabres closed out their preseason schedule Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the game played out much the way the scoreboard suggested. Pittsburgh controlled the pace early, scored twice in the first period, then kept Buffalo under pressure before putting the night away with an empty-net goal in the final minutes.
There were still a few things worth pulling from the final tune-up, starting with a debut on the blue line. Matt Grzelcyk, signed by the Sabres on Friday to a one-year deal, was thrown right into the mix against the Penguins and logged about 16 minutes.
He finished at minus-2 with two hits and two blocked shots. For a player who arrived without training camp and barely any time to practice with his new club, he held his own.
Even so, it’s obvious he’ll need time to get comfortable with his new teammates and sync up with the rest of the defense.
His role in the opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets may depend on whether Olen Zellweger and Mattias Samuelsson are available. If both are out, Grzelcyk looks like a candidate to handle third-pair minutes and give Buffalo 12-14 solid shifts.
Head coach Lindy Ruff also made his presence felt in a different way. The Sabres might have been in a deeper hole if not for two successful coaches’ challenges in the second period.
The first came after Evgeni Malkin knocked in a rebound past Luukkonen, only for the goal to be overturned because of goalie interference. Later, Pittsburgh thought it had another rebound goal, but Ruff challenged for offside and won again, with Sidney Crosby clearly entering the zone ahead of the puck.
The bigger concern may have come later, when Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen appeared to leave with a possible injury in the third period. There was no official announcement, but the timing stood out, coming just a few minutes into the period.
Luukkonen also did not stay on the bench and instead headed to the locker room, which usually raises alarms. Given how much injury trouble has already followed Buffalo this preseason, that situation bears watching closely.
Buffalo did at least get one encouraging sign on special teams. The power play, which has been a problem for the past two seasons, showed some life when the Sabres worked the puck around and eventually found a goal from their second unit. McLeod fed Owen Power, got it right back, and finished into an open net to cut the Penguins’ lead to 2-1.
That’s not enough to erase the larger picture from the night, but it was a clean, confident sequence and a reminder that Buffalo’s work on the man advantage may be starting to pay off. The Sabres finish the preseason 1-2-1 and now turn their attention to the regular season opener Thursday, October 1st, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, before returning home two days later to face the Chicago Blackhawks.
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