After a lackluster performance in the regular season opener, the Buffalo Sabres looked like they were heading for their second straight loss to open the season against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Sabres were able to bounce back with two goals in the third period to win 4-3.
Their next game, though, is going to be their toughest test yet this season against a Minnesota Wild team that has won their first two games by a combined score of 7-2. This is a Wild team that is expected to be a Stanley Cup contender and will be a good test for the Sabres as they try to show they can play with the best in the league.
When looking ahead to this game, these are three players who could be key to a Sabres win but will have different roles than they have to this point in the season.
Noah Ostlund
Noah Ostlund has been a key part of the Sabres' best line to begin the season with Zach Benson and Jack Quinn on either side of him. Through two games, Ostlund has two assists, with both coming in the season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Sabres are going to have to win 5v5 and the Ostlund line can certainly help but where he can make a bigger impact is if he can somehow find a way to spark the Sabres' power play. On Monday, Lindy Ruff moved Ostlund up to the top power play unit, and he replaced Josh Doan.
Through the first two games, the Sabres are 0-for-8 on the power play, and in a game where the margin of error is going to be small, Buffalo can't waste power play chances against the Wild.
Jiri Kulich
Another change the Sabres are likely to make to their lines for this game against Minnesota is Jiri Kulich moving back to center and up to the third line.
The Sabres made the move in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks, and while it is a small sample size with just over three minutes of ice time between Kulich, Konsta Helenius, and Peyton Krebs, it did have the best xGF% of all the Sabres lines in that game at 76.21%.
It will be interesting to see how this group does with a full game and if they can be that productive over three periods of hockey.
Colten Ellis
As Matthew Fairburn with The Athletic noted from Monday's practice, Colten Ellis was in the starter net and looks to be in line to make his season debut against the Minnesota Wild. It will be a big test for the young goalie but he has a chance to make a statement and possibly earn more starts moving forward.
Ellis was clearly the third goalie in the rotation last season, but with as many injuries as they had, he was able to get 14 starts and went 8-4-2. It is one of the reasons why Ellis will be making the start against the Wild is that Alex Lyon is currently dealing with a shoulder injury.
However, it is a new season, and if Ellis plays well against Minnesota, he could take the backup job away from Alex Lyon.
This will be a big test for the Buffalo Sabres and if these three players play well, they could win their second straight and a chance at an early season win streak.
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