The Buffalo Sabres are scheduled to take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight at 7:30 pm. This will be Buffalo’s second straight preseason road game, but the team is set to return to Buffalo to play the Penguins tomorrow night. This will also be the second straight game that the only way Sabres fans will be able to tune in is through the Sabres website.
The Sabres will include some more recognizable names in tonight’s preseason lineup compared to their first game. The projected top line for tonight will include Rasmus Asplund, Dylan Cozens, and Tage Thompson. Other players that have already made their Sabres debut that are set to play tonight are Brett Murray, Cody Eakin, Jacob Bryson, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
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— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) September 30, 2021
The plan in goal for tonight is that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will play the entire game. This will be the first in-game action that UPL has seen since he was injured towards the end of last season. UPL will also get some shootout work regardless of the final score, as the Red Wings have requested a shootout at the end of the game.
With not many veteran players playing in tonight’s matchup, it is likely that many will play in tomorrow’s preseason home opener against Pittsburgh. Players such as Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson, and Casey Mittelstadt will probably be in the lineup tomorrow. There is a decent shot that Craig Anderson makes his Sabres debut tomorrow night as well.
Prospects Linus Weissback and JJ Peterka impressed in the Sabres’ first preseason game. They are both playing again tonight and will be on the second line with Arttu Ruotsalainen at center. Peterka and Weissback will look to build on the momentum they built from Tuesday night, as they both scored late goals to complete Buffalo’s late-game comeback, which eventually ended in a shootout victory.