The last time the Buffalo Sabres were on home ice, they were celebrating a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. It would be their fourth straight victory at home, and they will be trying to extend that on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets have been on a similar upward trend as the Sabres. They started the season slow as they lost three of their first four games before winning three of their last four, including a big win over the Dallas Stars.
This will be a good test for the Sabres, as on paper these two rosters look to be evenly matched and the outcome of this game could be decided by some of the players listed below.
3 players to watch for the Buffalo Sabres against the Columbus Blue Jackets
Michael Kesselring
Michael Kesselring was a big part of the JJ Peterka trade this summer, and he was expected to have a Top 4 role in this defense. He looked really good in preseason, and it appeared it was going to be a perfect fit next to Owen Power.
However, fans have had to wait longer than they would have liked as Kesselring suffered an injury during preseason that has kept him out until this point in the season. While it hasn't been confirmed that he will play, the Sabres seemed confident enough that they sent Zach Metsa back to Rochester to open up the roster spot.
If Kesselring is not able to go, Jacob Bryson will likely be in the lineup for this game, but Kesselring is the player who should have fans excited. The defense has been solid to this point, but Kesselring is the player who can push this group up into that next tier.
Rasmus Dahlin
What has been impressive to this point for the defense is that not only have they been without Michael Kesselring, but Rasmus Dahlin hasn't been playing great hockey. He has yet to score a goal, has a +/- of -8, and has a career-low PDO at 88.9%.
At his best, Rasmus Dahlin is a difference maker and an elite defenseman in the NHL. If the Sabres get that level of performance, with everything else they have gotten to this point, they are going to win more than they lose.
This is a great chance for Dahlin to start to be that difference maker in this game against the Blue Jackets.
Ryan McLeod
Ryan McLeod has gotten off to a solid start to the season with six points and has been a big part of their success on the penalty kill. He currently is second on the team in ice time in 4-on-5 situations at 31 minutes and behind only Connor Timmins.
One area, though, that he has struggled this season has been in the faceoff circle. Entering the year, McLeod had a faceoff percentage of 50.5% but this season it has dropped to only 38.1%.
It is something worth watching over the next few games because the Sabres really don't have many options at center with the injury to Josh Norris. They are going to have to hope McLeod improves here, or they may need to look outside the organization for a solution.