The Buffalo Sabres are coming off by far their worst performance of the season after losing 4-0 to the Dallas Stars. It felt like they were keeping pace early with Dallas, but the second period changed everything as they allowed four goals and never were able to get back into the game.
There will certainly be games like this throughout the season and the important thing is to not let it linger or carry over. Unfortunately, their opponent on Saturday night, the Utah Mammoth, is in a similar position, as they are coming off a 6-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
When looking ahead to this game, these are three players in particular that could be deciding factors in the outcome or have a little bit more to play for.
Colten Ellis
While not confirmed, it would be surprising if it were anyone in net other than Colten Ellis. There hasn't been an update that has made it seem that Alex Lyon is close to returning from his shoulder injury, and after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's performance against the Stars, there is no way Lindy Ruff can send him back out.
That means that Colten Ellis will get the start against the Mammoth and has a major opportunity in front of him. He made the start against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and played well after allowing only two goals.
If he can play like that against Utah, the Buffalo Sabres are going to have to seriously consider making him the starter or giving him a majority of the starts moving forward.
Josh Doan
During the 2025 offseason, the Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth made a three-player trade that sent J.J. Peterka to Utah for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring. Amazingly, a little over one year later, Doan is the only player remaining for either team as Peterka was traded to Boston this summer and Kesselring was traded to San Jose.
For Josh Doan, he has had a tough start to the season and has not been nearly as effective as he was last season. He even was moved down to the fourth line for Thursday's game against the Stars.
The Sabres forward probably desperately wants to turn his season around, and there may not be a better chance than against the team that traded him away. One storyline to watch early in this game is whether Lindy Ruff has Doan in the lineup and if he returns to the top line with Tage Thompson or remains on the fourth line.
Konsta Helenius
Konsta Helenius entered this season with sky-high expectations and excitement. He followed that up with a goal in the first game of the season against Columbus, but hasn't done much since then, with only four shots on goal and a +/- of -3 in the three games.
Recently, against the Dallas Stars, he had the second-lowest xGF% of 21.21 on the Sabres and probably had his worst game of the season.
This is certainly something to be expected, as Helenius is a rookie and there are going to be ups and downs over his first full season in the NHL. However, the Sabres are also desperately looking for someone to fill the void left by the departure of Alex Tuch.
Konsta Helenius certainly has the talent to be that player and this will be a great chance to show he can be a key part of this offense.
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