The Buffalo Sabres have gotten points in five straight games, which is a positive, but have lost three straight games in overtime. When considering they had third period lead in two of those games, there is certainly the feeling they missed out on some crucial points.
They are going to look to bounce back on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals that has struggled as of late with three straight losses. If they are going to secure two points, these are four key players to watch for the Buffalo Sabres.
3 Buffalo Sabres to watch against the Washington Capitals
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen appears set to make his second start this season after being in the starter net during practice on Saturday morning. He made his season debut last Saturday on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs after he allowed four goals on 23 shots.
It has been an interesting season for Luukkonen that saw him miss a majority of the preseason due to injury and then suffer a second injury that forced him to miss the beginning of the season. During that time, Alex Lyon has played great in net for the Sabres but he is coming off his worst start of the season on Thursday against the Boston Bruins.
This could open the door some for Luukkonen to get more starts going forward but he has to put together a strong performance against the Capitals in this game.
Rasmus Dahlin
During regulation, Rasmus Dahlin looked like the player that fans have come to expect as he scored a goal, his first of the season, while adding an assist. The goal in particular helped the Sabres get back into the game when they were down 2-0 and the Bruins had all the momentum.
Unfortunately, the excitement around Dahlin seemingly got wiped out in overtime as he had an awful turnover. He was bringing the puck up the ice and lost an edge that caused him to turn the puck over and gave Boston a 3-on-1 going the other way that ended with them scoring a goal.
It will be interesting to see how Dahlin does in this game and if he can bounce back while putting the end of the Bruins game behind him.
Isak Rosen
It appears that Isak Rosen will be making his season debut tonight against the Washington Capitals after being called up on Friday. The Sabres made the move after placing Zach Benson on injured reserve, which will keep him out a minimum of seven days.
Rosen has played in 15 NHL games prior to this season, but has only one point during that stretch. However, this season with the Rochester Americans, Rosen has been one of their better players with 12 points in the first eight games. The former first round pick appeared heading into a make-or-break season with this team, and they desperately could use his scoring if he can carry it over from the AHL.
Based on the morning practice lines, it appears that Rosen will be playing alongside Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn for the game Saturday night against the Washington Capitals.