The Buffalo Sabres are fighting to stay consequential and in range of an Eastern Conference playoff spot, and will look to win their third straight as they take on the Seattle Kraken at KeyBank Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Sabres are coming off a 4-0 shutout victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, a contest that became physical early in the first period when Sens captain Brady Tkachuk took a run at winger Jason Zucker. The veteran forward left the ice and returned later to finish the game, but was not on the ice for Buffalo’s practice on Friday.
The Sabres were already short-handed up front, as Jordan Greenway is working his way back from a middle-body injury, Jiri Kulich was placed on injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury against Washington on Monday, and Beck Malenstyn being ill forced Buffalo to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Malenstyn and Mattias Samuelsson did not practice on Friday, so it is likely that head coach Lindy Ruff will go 11 – 7 against Seattle. If Zucker cannot go, the Sabres may have to bring up another forward from AHL Rochester on emergency recall. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to make his 31st start for the Sabres, and Joey Daccord may make his first start for Seattle since December 22nd.
The out of town scoreboard was not friendly to the Sabres on Friday, as the Detroit Red Wings won their sixth in a row over the Chicago Blackhawks, and Montreal won their eighth in the last 10 games with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Capitals.
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But I believe there's a distinct possibility that Devin Levi is going to be offersheeted. That's what I thought you were going to say. Because Ukepeka Lukonen is the goalie in Buffalo. He is probably going to start probably 50 to 55 starts. They put Devin Levi in Rochester, as they should, because he cannot be a number two playing 20 games. He needs to play. And he's playing really well. But what changes next year? Are you going to call him up at 23 years old and have him be the backup for Lukonen? His contract is up. He's an RFA. He won't be able to clear waivers. So then either you're—not that it's a bad thing to be stuck with Lukonen and Levi. But you're an organization in the Sabres that needs help in other areas. And if Lukonen is your number one and he's playing 75% of your starts, then you have to go and get a backup and maybe use Levi as an asset to be traded before July the 1st. Because Russ, if he gets to July 1st, I actually think the team that Corinne covers, which is his hometown, might be the team that goes out and signs him to an offersheet. I mean, I still don't understand what the Sabres are doing. I really don't. I feel like—and they can match this, certainly they can match this, and they could trade one of them in a year. I just—even for this possibility to be out there with all the talk that there was last year that Levi's the guy, and now to make a 180 on that, this doesn't even make sense. I don't even know what they're doing anymore, Mike. Well, okay. I'm saying this. If the current administration is there, you know, you've got to think of it this way. This might be something that comes from Levi and his representatives. If he sees his road to the NHL blocked, then he probably tells Kevin Adams, well, if you're not going to play me, trade me. Or if I get to July 1st and somebody offers me an offersheet, then I'm going to take that. It's like Philip Broberg. He played most of the year in Bakersfield, got a chance in the playoffs, and then signed an offersheet because I don't know if he saw the opportunity. I don't know.