Latest Buffalo Sabres line combos strike a regular season flair

The Buffalo Sabres latest line combos are looking similar to what we will likely see when the regular season opens on October 13th. 

Last week, I wrote about how the Buffalo Sabres unveiled a few lineup combinations that we could see in the regular season. Such combos featured Jack Quinn lining up with Tage Thompson and Victor Olofsson on the first while Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch took the second.

The latest line combos strongly resemble what we saw a few days back. But with differences that even more strongly resemble what we should see in the regular season. Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News revealed the combos at forward, which places Quinn on the second while Skinner returns to his familiar top spot:

Expect the Buffalo Sabres line combos to look similar on Opening Night

As you can see, Tuch remains on the second line, which makes sense. While he can easily man the top line, Tuch did state he’s comfortable playing with any combo. However, since he is one of the team’s top scorers, it is unlikely he will play any lower than the top six.

The third line is my overall favorite, featuring three rather aggressive youngsters in Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens, and J.J. Peterka. Some fans stated their desire to see Cozens move up to the second while Mittlestadt moves down a notch. But given his physical play, it makes sense to see Cozens on the third line alongside the aggressive Peterka.

Kyle Okposo, Rasmus Asplund, and Zemgus Girgensons make up a decent fourth line. We have a remarkable defensive forward in Asplund who can retain puck possession for the Sabres while Girgensons can be the team’s sledgehammer at forward. Okposo is a solid scorer who can create if he sees opportunity.

Vinnie Hinostroza and Riley Sheahan should be the extra skaters. Hinostroza can produce well if called on, while Sheahan can also man the fourth line in select games to win faceoffs. Anders Bjork should be the odd man out.