The Buffalo Sabres are riding a wave right now, and they’re bringing it home with them. After three straight wins and a clean sweep of their California trip, Buffalo sits at 7-4-3 for 17 points, good for fourth in the Atlantic Division by points percentage.
That momentum gets tested tonight when the Sabres open a four-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Buffalo will also debut its Hometown Remix jerseys in the matchup, after they were unveiled Monday morning.
The opponent makes this one feel even bigger. Ottawa enters at 9-6-1 with 19 points and holds the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Senators also have two games in hand on Buffalo, which gives tonight’s result extra weight in the standings. A regulation win here would be a major early-season swing, especially in a division where every head-to-head meeting matters.
The homestand doesn’t let up after that. The Sabres host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday at 7:00 p.m.
ET, then welcome the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The stretch wraps up with a visit from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
There’s also a Larkin update floating around the league, and Buffalo’s name has come up. Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings back in June, but he remains in the organization after playing 10 games before deciding he was done. He is now sitting out until he’s moved and has been suspended without pay.
Detroit interim general manager Shawn Horcoff is holding firm, waiting for the best package he can get for the organization. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and others have reported that Buffalo put together a strong offer for Larkin, but Larkin will not add the Sabres to his trade list.
He also won’t expand that list. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Larkin and his agent told the Red Wings that 10 teams is enough to get a deal done.
The situation has apparently hit a wall. The Red Wings want Larkin to open up his 10-team list after failing to land a trade, with Montreal, Boston, LA and Buffalo among the teams they’d like to explore. Larkin’s camp, though, pushed back with: “No, we gave you 10 teams, which was more than the three teams we gave you at the beginning.”
For Buffalo, that likely closes the door. Unless something changes in the coming weeks, the Sabres can probably be crossed off the list.
On the injury front, there are signs of help on the way. Conor Timmins and Jiri Kulich are both options for tonight against Ottawa.
Kulich did not join line rushes in Monday or Tuesday’s practice, while Timmins skated on the third pair with Zach Metsa and Louis Crevier. Timmins still has to be activated from injured reserve before he can play.
Helenius was by Jacob Trouba during the team’s 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks last week and is now week-to-week.
Justin Danforth has been on injured reserve since Oct. 29, but he returned to practice on Nov. 2.
Matt Grzelcyk, who was signed just before the season, has been out since Oct. 13 with what head coach Lindy Ruff called a “lower‑body flare‑up.” He’s day-to-day.
Goaltender Alex Lyon, out since Sept. 24, suffered a setback in rehab before he had been set to return on Oct. 13. He rejoined the team at practice on Nov. 2, and Ruff said “he’s probably days away from returning”.
The Sabres are getting healthier, slowly but surely, with the exception of Helenius. If the roster keeps trending that way and players like Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, Rasmus Dahlin, and others keep producing, Buffalo can keep building on what has already been a strong season.
In Other News...
Red Wings Face A Crucial Anton Johansson Decision On Defense
Anton Johansson has given the Red Wings a little something to think about on the back end. The rookie has flashed offensive upside, but his current pairing with Andreas Englund has not been the cleanest fit for a young defenseman trying to show what he can do with the puck. Detroit has enough moving parts on defense right now that every combination matters, and Johanssons development is quickly becoming part of the bigger lineup conversation.
Jacob Bernard-Dockers recent recall adds another wrinkle, since he offers a different kind of temporary partner for Johansson while the Red Wings sort through their options. With Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson also in the mix as possible returnees, Detroit may soon have to decide not just who plays, but which pairing gives Anton Johansson the best chance to keep building on the promise he has already shown. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Have Found Their Second Pair Answer Too Late
The Red Wings have been sorting through their defensive combinations for weeks, and one pairing has started to separate itself from the rest: Justin Faulk and William Wallinder. In a season where Detroit has been searching for answers on the blue line, the two have logged meaningful minutes together and produced the kind of underlying results that make coaches pay attention, especially when the rest of the pairings have been more uneven.
The question now is less about whether the duo has worked and more about how far the team can push it without creating other problems. Detroit has to balance a possible increase in their workload with the bigger picture of player development and deployment, which is never simple this late in the season. If this really is the best second-pair option the Red Wings have found, the lingering issue is whether they found it in time to make the most of it. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Blue Line Debate Starts With Moritz Seiders Heavy Lift
Moritz Seider has become the center of a familiar Red Wings discussion on the blue line: who best complements him, and what Detroit is really getting from its top defensive pair. The numbers around Seider and Ben Chiarot suggest the pairing has been serviceable more than dominant, even with both players seeing plenty of time together, and the contrast in their underlying results has only sharpened the conversation about how the defense should be arranged.
Seider has done the heavier lifting, showing better impact in several advanced measures while Chiarot has been asked to handle a role that stretches beyond what he usually provides. Other defensemen have entered the picture as well, and lineup changes have already altered the mix once, which makes the debate less about one pair in isolation and more about whether Detroit can find a better fit around its most important blueliner. [Read more 🡒]