Detroit Red Wings (5-1-0) at Buffalo Sabres (2-4-0)
Puck Drop: 7:30 PM | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, New York
TV: TNT/HBO Max
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Detroit Red Wings
Record: 5-1-0 | 10 PTS
Division Ranking: T1st in Atlantic Division
Last Game: 4-2 Win vs Edmonton
PP: 15th (22.2%) | Sabres Rank: T6th (26.3%)
PK: 4th (92.3%) | Sabres Rank: 2nd (95.8%)
What to Watch
1. Ellis Debut
The Sabres decided to bolster their goaltending depth through waivers by claiming Colten Ellis from the St Louis Blues on October 6th. A couple of weeks later, Ellis is expected to make his NHL debut for Buffalo. The Nova Scotia native was a 3rd round pick by the Blues in 2019 and put up impressive numbers in the AHL last season. In 42 regular season games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he had a 2.63 GAA and .922 save percentage. He also had a 2.32 GAA and .933 save percentage in 3 playoff games last season. Buffalo should focus on starting better defensively then they’ve had in games past to help him shake off any debut jitters and settle into his game. It will be good to know what they have in Ellis before they can make any decisions about Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
2. Oslund Season Debut
After a brutal performance against Montreal, the Sabres bottom 6 has been reshuffled. Malenstyn returns after missing a couple games for paternity leave, Krebs has moved down to the 4th line, and Ostlund makes his season debut. Ostlund is off to a good start in Rochester with 5 points in 4 games. Last year, he had 36 points in 45 AHL games and went pointless in 8 games with Buffalo. He played limited 4th line minutes in those 8 Sabres games last year, but he is getting a better opportunity this season. Zucker and Quinn are more suited to Oslund’s offensive talents. If that line can find some chemistry, they could provide some needed secondary scoring.
3. Red-Hot Start
After a disastrous 5-1 loss at home to begin their season, the Red Wings have rattled off five straight wins. This streak consists of victories against Toronto (twice), Tampa Bay, Florida, and Edmonton. Those wins against quality opponents have the team tied with Montreal for the Atlantic Division lead. They are led by their captain, Dylan Larkin, who has 11 points in 6 games and a 6-game point streak to start the season. He’s coming off a 4-point night on Sunday against Edmonton. Buffalo will have to limit Larkin’s impact if they want to stop Detroit’s streak. This responsibility will likely fall to the McLeod line as he, Tuch, and Doan are three of the most defensively sound forwards Buffalo has.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Benson – Kulich – Thompson
Doan – McLeod – Tuch
Zucker – Ostlund – Quinn
Krebs – Kozak – Malenstyn
Defense
Byram – Dahlin
Power – Timmins
Samuelsson – Metsa
Starter: Ellis
Detroit Red Wings
Forwards
Finnie – Larkin – Raymond
Debrincat – Kasper – Brandsegg-Nygard
Appleton – Compher – Berggren
Van Riemsdyk – Copp– Rasmussen
Defense
Chiarot – Seider
Edvinsson – Sandin-Pellikka
Johansson – Bernard-Docker
Starter: Gibson