The Buffalo Sabres are rightfully sitting most of their key players tonight in the preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Buffalo Sabres have listed forward Riley Sheahan as day-to-day, and in a recent article, I stated the injury bug won’t affect the franchise to the same extent as it did last season. Sheahan’s situation is one reason why, as Sean Malone, who missed most of camp, gets the recall from the Rochester Americans to make his preseason debut.
While I don’t expect Malone to be a top recall in time, he is one of the more effective players and leaders down in Rochester, meaning he can come up and play the role at a moment’s notice. Forward would be noticeably tougher than defenseman and goaltender to fulfill, but Malone is one of those few forwards capable of providing serviceable production.
Tonight’s game roster in Pittsburgh. #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/7luCnRBNPh
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 7, 2022
I also said that with the likes of Lawrence Pilut, Casey Fitzgerald, Kale Clague, Chase Priskie, and Jeremy Davies, the defensive rotation won’t suffer a catastrophic drop-off should the bug hit. Tonight, we should see them all in action.
But are any of the above my top three Sabres to watch tonight? Here are the names I’m burning on.
1 – Buffalo Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie
Comrie had a rough outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Tuesday, allowing four goals. However, most of them weren’t his fault. Comrie let a savable power play goal by, but other than that, poor defense doomed his performance.
Tonight, Comrie once again has a weaker lineup in front of him. But don’t expect the Penguins to play their strongest players either, with the regular season being so close. Overall, Comrie’s numbers should look far better tonight.
2 – Vinnie Hinostroza
Hinostroza enjoyed a great outing against the Carolina Hurricanes. Now, the projected extra skater for the Buffalo Sabres has another chance to shine and show that he can be more than valuable insurance for the lineup.
He is a savvy veteran who can fit a variety of roles and lineup combinations. Though Hinostroza dealt with some injuries last season, he still enjoyed periodic strong outings. Let’s see if he can show some consistency tonight.
3 – Sean Malone
Bad luck and injuries have all but relegated Malone to AHL rosters, but his perseverance is uncanny. The Buffalo Sabres recalled Malone to fill in for Sheahan because they intended to give him a look at some point in the preseason, so he will take a spot on the lower lines.
At the beginning of this article, I stated Malone can be a reliable fill-in early on. Tonight, he gets his first crack at it.
Article Source: Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Penguins by Jourdon LaBarber