Buffalo Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring played his first game since March 10 in Wednesday night's 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers as head coach Lindy Ruff tries to make his final lineup decisions ahead of the team's long-awaited Stanley Cup Playoffs return.
Ruff made three changes to Wednesday's group — Kesselring, Conor Timmins and Tanner Pearson in; Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn and Jordan Greenway out — and confirmed the lineup juggling will continue in Thursday's clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Jack Adams Award contender was pleased with Kesselring's performance.
"As the game went on, I felt he got more comfortable," Ruff told reporters. "We know we have nine D. It's not an ideal situation for our guys who are playing in that five-six category. But I really wanted to see everybody play. We've got a few games left here, and we'll make decisions on who's going to get that opportunity."
Kesselring is the most intriguing player on the postseason lineup bubble.
The 26-year-old blueliner arrived to Buffalo last June as the prized piece of the blockbuster JJ Peterka trade with the Utah Mammoth. His struggles with a few different leg injuries combined with Josh Doan's breakout has changed the narrative around that deal, though.
Now the 6-foot-5 South Carolina native is in a race against time he's back to full strength and capable of providing a boost to the Sabres in the playoffs. The team is riding a nine-game winning streak in his most recent appearances dating back to late February.
Kesselring has lacked speed and acceleration for much of the campaign because of the injuries, which is a problem given the club's up-tempo style of play, but he's typically been highly effective in the defensive zone.
The Northeastern University product ranks third among Sabres defensemen in 5-on-5 expected goal share (xGF%) at 51.4% behind only Rasmus Dahlin (53.3%) and Logan Stanley (52.8%), according to Natural Stat Trick.
So, based on those numbers, it'll be interesting to see whether Ruff tries a Stanley-Kesselring pair for at least one of the final three games of the regular season.
Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Owen Power and Bowen Byram are locked into their roles, so it comes down to Kesselring, Stanley, Schenn, Timmins and Zach Metsa for the last two spots.
Up front, there are two openings available until Noah Ostlund and Sam Carrick return from injuries. Greenway, Pearson, Josh Dunne and Tyson Kozak are the fill-in candidates. Buffalo could also consider calling up prized prospect Konsta Helenius, though it feels unlikely at this stage.
As those roster battles play out, let's check out the newest installment of our Sabres player grades series after an impressive comeback win over the Blueshirts.
Buffalo Sabres use big third period to hold serve in Atlantic Division race with a March 8 win over the New York Rangers
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Jason Zucker | 9 |
Zach Benson | 8.5 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 8.5 |
Alex Tuch | 8.5 |
Tage Thompson | 8 |
Ryan McLeod | 8 |
Peyton Krebs | 7.5 |
Bowen Byram | 7.5 |
Josh Doan | 7 |
Conor Timmins | 7 |
Josh Norris | 6.5 |
Jack Quinn | 6 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 5.5 |
Michael Kesselring | 5 |
Owen Power | 4.5 |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 4 |
Beck Malenstyn | 4 |
Tyson Kozak | 3.5 |
Tanner Pearson | 3 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Jason Zucker
Zucker will quietly be one of the Sabres' most important players in the postseason. Not only because he's capable of providing key secondary scoring, as he did with a goal and an assist against the Rangers, but also due to his power-play prowess.
Buffalo's play with the man advantage has been abysmal lately. It failed to convert on any of its three PP opportunities on Tuesday night, and it's now 0 for 15 over the last four contests. It's a problem that's popped up in a significant way several times throughout the campaign.
Zucker is the one player who's been able to spark the unit at times over the past two seasons. He's tallied 37 power-play points (21 goals and 16 assists) in 133 games since joining the Sabres as a free agent before the 2024-25 campaign.
Finding a way to capitalize on those game-changing chances will be essential if Buffalo wants to make a deep playoff run. Don't be surprised if the 34-year-old veteran makes his presence felt.
Sabres quick hits
- Zach Benson was a force all night. It's been said countless times in these grades reviews, but here's one more for good measure: Benson should be on the first line instead of Peyton Krebs, who's played decently well but is more of a depth contributor.
- Tage Thompson had a solid game. It was a promising sight after he failed to make much of an impact on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning after missing that day's morning skate for "maintenance."
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made just 17 saves on 20 shots (.850 save percentage) but didn't make any glaring mistakes.
- Kozak hasn't stood out in his recent appearances, which could give Dunne the inside track on the fourth-line center spot for as long as Carrick remains out.
- The Sabres (48-23-8) are back home at the KeyBank Center on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET) to host the Columbus Blue Jackets (39-27-12).