3 pressing questions for the Buffalo Sabres final two preseason games
The first of the Buffalo Sabres final two preseason games commences tonight when they visit Columbus and take on the Blue Jackets.
The Buffalo Sabres have made it to their final two preseason contests, and they will face a Columbus Blue Jackets team playing the likes of Patrik Laine, Johnny Gaudreau, and other top-end NHL talent. Therefore, if you want a preseason game that may carry the feel of something you will see in the regular season, tonight’s outing is one you should be tuning in for.
With one week to go before the NHL regular season starts, however, there is also a plethora of questions that all 32 teams must answer, and the Sabres are no exception. Below, you will cross three more of the most burning as an extension of last week’s edition, including what the defensive rotation may look like, along with how Zach Benson will fare in what will be his fifth preseason game.
Finally, we will ask ourselves whether Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen can finally pass a big test. And this test, despite it being the preseason, has a lot riding on it.
3 more questions the Buffalo Sabres must answer
1 – What will the defensive rotation look like?
Tonight, we will see Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton take the ice in a Buffalo Sabres uniform for the first time. With Clifton having spent ample time lining up beside Rasmus Dahlin, we may get our first look at the pairing in tonight’s contest. This will be uncharted territory for both blueliners, as Dahlin often found himself beside Mattias Samuelsson, who has been taking practice reps with Johnson.
Update: Erik Johnson WILL NOT be in the lineup tonight, as reported by Lance Lysowski of Buffalo News:
Erik Johnson had some “aggravation” and wanted to play through it, according to Don Granato, but the decision was made to rest him against CBJ.
— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) October 4, 2023
Henri Jokiharju will be in the lineup in Columbus.
The rotation could give us an idea of what it will look like when the Sabres square off vs. the New York Rangers next week when the regular season commences. Or, the look we’ve seen in camp could be one that head coach Don Granato ends up using sporadically or as a secondary lineup.
We know what Dahlin and Samuelsson can do when lined up alongside one another, but we also know that the latter is injury-prone. Therefore, experimenting with different rotations makes sense with a pair of newcomers to the Blue and Gold.
2 – How will Zach Benson fare against another NHL-caliber lineup?
In practice this week, rookie winger Zach Benson once again found himself lining up alongside Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner. However, that won’t be the case when the Buffalo Sabres faceoff against the Blue Jackets, as neither are slated to be in the lineup unless something changes between the time of this writing and game time.
Lining up the same as yesterday:
— Heather Engel (@engelheather) October 3, 2023
Skinner-Thompson-Benson
Peterka-Cozens-Olofsson
Greenway-Mittelstadt-Tuch
Girgensons-Krebs-Okposo
Rousek-Jost-Biro
Murray-Kulich-Rosén
Dahlin-Clifton
Power-Jokiharju
Samuelsson-E. Johnson
R. Johnson-Bryson
Stillman-Clague
Earlier in the preseason, Benson fared well when lining up with others, such as his preseason debut against the Washington Capitals. If Benson shows he can build chemistry with those lining up alongside him once more, he will check off yet another box that tells us he’s NHL-ready.
So far, Benson has been the most intriguing prospect at Sabres camp and in the preseason, and the last thing we need to see is a bad game or two at this stage. But judging from what he’s shown me thus far, I’m expecting the 18-year-old to enjoy yet another solid performance. He doesn’t need another stellar game like he had on Saturday, but he should enjoy a good outing nonetheless.
3 – Can Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finally pass a test?
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is on the ropes, and there is no doubt that this is the biggest test of his career. Sure, it’s only a preseason game, but roster spots are won and lost in the preseason, and there is no way Luukkonen helps his cause with a poor performance.
Even if he plays well tonight, there is still no guarantee Luukkonen sticks around if the Buffalo Sabres would see more value in keeping a 14th forward or an eighth blueliner. If Luukkonen plays poorly, then perhaps he becomes an unexpected addition in Rochester, assuming he clears waivers.
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If Luukkonen wants to put himself in the best position to find a spot on the 23-man roster, then he needs to go out there and play a stellar game. Again, this isn’t saying an outstanding performance guarantees anything, but at least he will have the satisfaction of knowing he did everything in his power to make an impression.