3 Buffalo Sabres players to look forward to watching in Preseason Game 1

The Buffalo Sabres finally play a preseason game today at 2 p.m. when they travel to Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals. 

The Buffalo Sabres open their preseason today at 2 p.m., and it has been a summer full of waiting, given the way the Blue and Gold finished last season. The Sabres, however, are approaching Game 1 here in the same way an NFL team approaches their first preseason game, and you will see a plethora of prospects with some NHL-caliber talent sprinkled in there.

Take just one look at the roster, however, and you will see that there are plenty of names to get excited about. Three in particular jump out at me, the first of whom is a forward who more than made his presence known with the Rochester Americans last season. The second is a player who came to Rochester late and was stellar in the Prospects Challenge. And the third is a goaltender looking for a redemption campaign.

3 Buffalo Sabres to watch vs. Capitals

1 – Tyson Kozak, F

A fan favorite and for good reason, Tyson Kozak once again showed us why he’s a prospect who warrants more consideration than he gets at the Challenge, and that’s something we can hope carries over today. He was one of the most feisty players at the LECOM Harborcenter last week, effectively carrying over the defense-first game that he developed during his first season in Rochester.

Kozak’s game didn’t jump off the screen during the Challenge, however, simply because he did everything that you would expect him to do. However, now that the preseason has arrived and Kozak will be playing more NHL-caliber talent, now we’ll get a better gauge on how close he could be to landing a spot with the Buffalo Sabres.

With Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo returning, along with Tyson Jost’s presence and the fact Kozak is waivers-exempt, it won’t happen this year. But Kozak has an opportunity to lay another brick atop the foundation this Sunday.

2 – Zach Metsa, D

When you look at Zach Metsa’s points total in the 2023 Prospects Challenge, you might scoff. But look past it, because Metsa was one of the best players on the ice and you can even argue that he was the best defenseman – though Nikita Novikov would definitely give him a run.

Metsa displayed incredible hockey instincts at the Prospects Challenge, and that carried over from his time in the Calder Cup Playoffs following his National Championship run with the Quinnipiac Bobcats. He displayed an incredible two-way style, and always seemed to find the open teammate, something that we can hope carries over into Sunday.

Despite his smaller size, Metsa also wasn’t afraid to battle for the puck and come up with the win. He was one of the most complete players at the Challenge, so let’s hope that carries over into today.