Expect Matt Savoie to make his Buffalo Sabres debut in Week 5
By Sion Fawkes
Following his successful outing with the Rochester Americans, Matt Savoie will make his debut with the Buffalo Sabres this week.
Just 24 hours ago, whether Matt Savoie would end up with the Buffalo Sabres or if he would return to the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild was one of the burning questions of the week. While a stint with the Sabres seemed to be the likeliest outcome, there was always that inevitable curveball, so to make an assumption even if it seemed logical would just be premature.
Now that Savoie is once again practicing with the Blue and Gold, the burning question is now, When will Matt Savoie make his long-awaited NHL debut? It won’t be tonight, we know that much, as Savoie will get some practice reps in with the big club before the inevitable day comes.
Logistically, that day might be this Friday or Saturday, as the Sabres have a back-to-back to end the week. This will give Savoie a solid amount of time on the ice in practice before he sees a real game scenario against what looks like a pair of the weaker teams in the league in the Minnesota Wild and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Buffalo Sabres fans can anticipate Matt Savoie’s debut to come sooner than later
Savoie’s NHL debut could also coincide with him seeing time on the Peyton Krebs line, which occurred at practice yesterday when he rotated into a group that also included Victor Olofsson and Lukas Rousek. Krebs and Savoie were teammates with the former Winnipeg Ice, so there should be some built-in chemistry there.
If he debuts this week, Savoie will join a plethora of Buffalo Sabres prospects who have seen some time in the NHL this season including current Wenatchee Wild teammate Zach Benson, who has appeared in six games. Brandon Biro and Lukas Rousek have also seen time, and last Saturday, former first-round pick Ryan Johnson made an impromptu debut that went well.
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Benson has looked good at times during what should be a maximum nine-game stint, while Biro scored twice in his first NHL game since February 2022. This past weekend, Johnson scored his first NHL point despite seeing just 8:20 of total ice time. It shouldn’t be long until we see what Savoie can do.
Source: Matt Savoie back with Sabres, preparing for NHL debut after strong showing with Amerks by Lance Lysowski, Buffalo News
(Further information provided by Hockey-Reference)