The Buffalo Sabres are going to be looking to get back into the win column after a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. It certainly won't be easy as they will take one of the hottest teams in the NHL in the Detroit Red Wings, who have won five straight.
It has pretty much been confirmed that the Sabres, for the first time this season, will not have Alex Lyon in net. They will look to give him the night off and go with Colten Ellis, who they claimed on waivers at the beginning of the season. He will be making his NHL debut on Wednesday night against the Red Wings.
The change in net is notable as this will be a big test for Ellis with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen getting closer to returning. If Ellis puts together a solid performance, it is going to give the Sabres a tough decision of who is to be the second goalie on the roster alongside Lyon.
Buffalo Sabres shuffling their bottom six for the game against the Detroit Red Wings
In addition to the change in net, the Sabres appear ready to shuffle their two bottom forward lines for this game based on the lines at practice. According to Paul Hamilton of WGR550, the third line was Jason Zucker, Noah Ostlund, and Jack Quinn, with Peyton Krebs on the fourth line with Tyson Kozak and Beck Malenstyn.
These two lines have plenty of storylines going into this game, from Jason Zucker looking to bounce back after apparently being benched in the third period to Tyson Kozak looking to continue the momentum he had from his performance against the Canadiens.
However, none might be bigger than Noah Ostlund making his season debut for the Sabres. There is no question that the depth at center has been a concern after the injury to Josh Norris.
Last season, Ostlund appeared in eight games but didn't register a point. However, he has shown in the AHL that he can be a playmaker with 36 points in 45 games last season and five points in four games already this season.
By putting Ostlund on the third line with Zucker and Quinn, there is the chance they can make some plays in the offensive zone. It would be a boost for an offense that currently ranks 30th in goals scored in 5v5 situations with only eight this season.