The Buffalo Sabres enter their season opener with a forward group that looks a little different than anything they showed during the preseason, and a defense that still has a couple of moving parts.
Wednesday’s practice offered the clearest glimpse yet at how Buffalo might line up against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Up front, Josh Norris skated between Tage Thompson and Josh Doan on what appeared to be the top line.
Behind them were Peyton Krebs, Ryan McLeod and Konsta Helenius, then Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn. The fourth group featured Jiri Kulich, Sam Carrick and Beck Malenstyn, with Tyson Kozak and Justin Danforth rotating in.
Those combinations stood out because the Sabres never really used that exact top-line mix in preseason. Thompson’s early exhibition work came alongside Krebs and Doan, and in his second preseason game he split time between that trio and a unit with Benson and Ostlund. If Wednesday’s alignment holds, Thompson will be seeing Norris in game action for the first time this season.
That also matters because Norris and Thompson have already been paired before. Last season, Norris opened the year on Thompson’s line, but he was the center while Thompson played the wing. That setup was short-lived after Norris suffered an injury in the first game of the 2025-26 season.
There’s another wrinkle in Buffalo’s forward setup: three of the four lines feature two players who have spent plenty of time at center. That gives the coaching staff more flexibility in the faceoff circle and with matchup decisions, which could be useful for a team that struggled on faceoffs last season.
The blue line, though, still needs a little more clarity.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was back on the ice Wednesday and appears headed toward the start after leaving Buffalo’s final preseason game in the third period. But the Sabres are still sorting out the defense in front of him.
Olen Zellweger will not be available after failing to clear concussion protocol in time for Thursday’s game, and Connor Timmins is on injured reserve. That leaves Buffalo with six defensemen potentially available, though the club would still need a roster move if Mattias Samuelsson can’t play.
According to Paul Hamilton, Lindy Ruff said Samuelsson looked good in practice, but the Sabres want to see how he feels on Thursday, with pain management the main issue.
Paul Hamilton also reported that Ruff said Zellweger is still feeling good but has not passed baseline testing. Samuelsson said practice went well, and that he wants to see how the flight goes before they decide tomorrow. He said it is pain management and that he was full go in practice.
If Samuelsson is able to suit up, Buffalo’s defense would likely line up with Samuelsson next to Rasmus Dahlin on the top pair, Owen Power with Louis Crevier on the second pair, and Matt Grzelcyk alongside Zach Metsa on the third.
Even with those expected pairings, the Sabres spent most of Wednesday shuffling defensemen around, a sign the staff was working through every possibility before the opener. If Samuelsson can’t go, Buffalo will need to make roster moves, and fans should get a pretty good idea early Thursday of what the blue line will look like when the season begins.
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What made the comment resonate locally is where that future could lead, even if nothing is imminent. Pegula said she may help her family run the Bills after her tennis career ends, a thought that naturally invites fresh conversation about how deeply the Pegula familys influence could continue to shape Buffalo sports, and in what role she might eventually fit. [Read more 🡒]