The Buffalo Sabres will start the season with Alex Lyon as their starting goaltender and recent waiver claim Colten Ellis as their backup. Ellis was claim from the St. Louis Blues on Monday, which was followed quickly by the Sabres placing veteran Alexandar Georgiev on waivers. The former Rangers, Avs, and Sharks goalie cleared on Wednesday, and will likely be assigned to the AHL Rochester Americans, who open their regular season on Friday against the Toronto Marlies at Blue Cross Arena.

Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is feeling better after suffering a lower-body injury last week against Pittsburgh, but a time frame on him returning to the ice to practice is unknown. The same goes for defenseman Michael Kesselring. The Sabres have a favorable schedule, with six home games in their first eight contests and just one set of back-to-back games in October, which will allow them to lean heavily on veteran Alex Lyon.

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Ruff indicated that defensemen Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson, who both practiced on Wednesday, will be in the lineup for the season opener against the NY Rangers at KeyBank Center on Thursday. With Kesselring out, either Jacob Bryson or Ryan Johnson will play in the opener against New York, who were shut out 3-0 by the Penguins at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Winger Zach Benson was injured in practice, taking an errant puck in the face. Benson had a gash on his left cheek, but Ruff indicated that it should not keep him out of the game against New York. In other news, Jack Eichel will be in Vegas for the balance of his career, as the former Sabres captain signed an eight-year deal with the Golden Knights for $13.5 million per season.

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Sabres Notes - Georgiev Clears, Benson Bruised, Injury Update