Yesterday was the final game for the Buffalo Sabres in the Prospects Challenge. Here are three major takeaways from the contest.
Just like how quickly it came, the 2023 Prospects Challenge has come and gone. Last night was the final game for the Buffalo Sabres as they took on the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects. It was going to be the final time Sabres fans could see Sabres hockey until training camp and the preseason.
I was able to make it to this one since I couldn’t attend any of the other games. In this article, I’m going to give you three takeaways from the contest. Even though Buffalo didn’t score any goals in the loss, there were some things that stood out to me.
The most important takeaway and not a good one is Matt Savoie. I was really looking forward to seeing Savoie. Just 22 seconds into the game, the Sabres 2022 first round pick went crashing into the boards. He stayed down for a few seconds before skating off after the Penguins scored their first goal.
He got up holding his arm/shoulder area and would not return to the game. After waiting a bit, it was announced that Savoie would not return for the rest of the game. Once the game was over, Lance Lysowski tweeted the following:
Upper-body injury for Matt Savoie, said Rochester coach Seth Appert. Savoie is expected to miss some time at the start of NHL camp.
— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) September 18, 2023
Will be evaluated further Tuesday.
Losing Matt Savoie was a major concern for the Buffalo Sabres in loss to Pens
It’s very unfortunate that he went down and will miss some time, but we will see what happens as the week goes on. On a more positive note, Zach Benson looked really good. He didn’t score any goals, but seeing his skillset in person was fun. Just seeing him fly down the ice and what he does with the puck. He attempted some difficult passes and made some nice plays. Even though it was a prospects game, i can see why fans were beyond thrilled he fell to the Sabres and hopefully we can see him in some games during the preseason.
My final takeaway, Buffalo loves their hockey. I didn’t think it would be that bad, especially on a Monday night during rush hour. I was wrong, the fans filled up Harborcenter for a game showing off the Sabres and Penguins prospects.