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.