The Buffalo Sabres open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the spotlight is already on three players who can help them shake a troubling pattern. Buffalo has dropped its first game in each of the last three seasons, and if that streak is going to end, the Sabres will need big nights from Tage Thompson, Louis Crevier and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
That opening test comes with a little extra weight because Buffalo is trying to do something it hasn’t done since the 2011-12 season: make the playoffs in back-to-back years. The Sabres broke through last season with 109 points, a 30-point jump from the year before, and they won the Atlantic Division. But the path forward looks tougher now, with the division having improved this offseason and Buffalo trying to offset the departures of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram with more from its younger core.
The memory of last season’s visit to Columbus also lingers. On January 3, the Sabres were beaten 5-1, a result that ended a 10-game winning streak and stopped them from setting a new franchise record. That’s the kind of game Buffalo can’t afford to repeat if it wants a cleaner start this time around.
For Thompson, the ask is familiar: carry more of the load. Losing Tuch doesn’t fall on one player alone, but Thompson enters the season with added pressure to drive the offense.
He has been Buffalo’s most reliable goal scorer for several seasons, and the Sabres may need even more from him now. A fast start would help him chase his first 50-goal season, especially since he has scored in the season opener only once in his career, back in 2021.
Thompson has usually taken time to find his rhythm early in the year, but a quicker start would ease some of the burden on the rest of the forwards, too.
Crevier’s opportunity is more about grabbing a role and making it stick. The Sabres have already ruled out Olen Zellweger for this game, though he could be back for Saturday’s home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Zellweger was expected to skate with Owen Power this season, but Crevier now has a chance to prove he belongs in that top-four mix. He came to Buffalo in the return from the Blackhawks for Bowen Byram after posting a career year with 78 games, 25 points, 124 hits and more than 17 minutes of ice time per night.
Whether he lands beside Power on the second pair or elsewhere on the blue line, this is a chance for Crevier to make the decision harder on the coaching staff once Zellweger returns.
Then there’s Luukkonen, who may have the most to prove of the three. He’s coming off a career season, but his playoff struggles fueled summer chatter about the Sabres being interested in Connor Hellebuyck.
With that noise hanging around, Luukkonen has a chance to quiet it quickly with a strong start. There was some uncertainty after he left the final preseason game in the third period because of an injury, but he has returned to practice and should get the opening-night start.
If he gives Buffalo a big performance in Columbus, it would do more than settle things around his own role - it would give the Sabres a shot at building momentum right away.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Sent A Big Message About Their Blue Line Plans
The Sabres have already made one of their clearest statements of the offseason on the blue line, locking up defenseman Louis Crevier before he has even played a regular-season game in Buffalo. Crevier arrived from Chicago in the trade that sent Bowen Byram and the No. 4 pick the other way, and the early extension suggests the Sabres are not treating him as a depth add. They are counting on him to be part of the long-term picture after he had 134 NHL games and 32 points with the Blackhawks.
What makes the move especially notable is the timing, with Buffalo committing so quickly to a player who is still new to the organization. Crevier is expected to step into a prominent role right away, and the extension only sharpens the sense that the Sabres see him as more than a stopgap on the back end. The bigger question now is how far the team is willing to go in reshaping its defense around that belief. [Read more 🡒]
Lindy Ruff Is Sending A Clear Early Message To The Sabres
Lindy Ruff is making it clear the Sabres cannot afford to let their 2026-27 season drift out of the starting gate. With the opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets looming, Buffalos coach has put an early emphasis on establishing a strong start, a message that fits a team trying to set a better tone from the outset and avoid playing catch-up right away.
The timing also comes as the blue line continues to take shape, with Louis Creviers recent four-year extension signaling the organizations belief in his development after the Bowen Byram trade. Crevier figures to be part of the defensive conversation quickly, and Buffalos early-season plans will be worth watching as the Sabres sort out how their new-look back end settles in around him. [Read more 🡒]
Why Sabres Fans Should Believe Konsta Helenius Is Built For This
Konsta Helenius has already shown the kind of poise that tends to matter most when the games get bigger and the spotlight gets hotter. The Sabres rookie forward has carried himself with a confidence that has stood out at every stop, from his time in the AHL and Finnish Liiga to the league stage in Buffalo, where he made a strong impression in the playoffs.
For Sabres fans, the appeal is not just upside, but evidence. Helenius has a track record of rising to the moment and handling pressure without looking overwhelmed, which is why his success in Finland and his growth in North America feel connected rather than accidental. The next question is how far that edge can take him once the expectations in Buffalo start to grow. [Read more 🡒]