Sabres vs. Penguins | How to watch, rosters, and storylines

The Sabres will play most of their NHL regulars in the preseason opener.

Lindy Ruff will be back behind the bench for the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night – and he’ll have nearly his full team with him.

The Sabres have been ramping up their training camp faster than usual with a trip to Europe for the NHL Global Series quickly approaching. They only have two preseason contests prior to their departure next Tuesday, then one final exhibition tune-up against Red Bull Munich before regular-season play begins in Czechia on Oct. 4.

So, while other teams keep with the tradition of icing prospect-laden rosters early on, the Sabres’ group for their preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center will closely resemble their regular-season roster.

“I think we’re going to look at the majority of our group playing in those games,” Ruff said. “Maybe two or three guys that won’t play. But otherwise, get our group ready to play.”

One exception will be Rasmus Dahlin, who has been kept out of practice since sustaining an injury during the opening session on Wednesday. Dahlin skated on his own Friday morning.

“We’ll see where that goes, how he felt after the skate,” Ruff said. “Encouraging that he was back out there.”

The puck drops between the Sabres and Penguins at 7 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

Tune-in: MSG (Pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Listen: WGR 550

Tonight’s roster

Forwards (12): 96 Nicolas Aube-Kubel, 9 Zach Benson, 24 Dylan Cozens, 20 Jiri Kulich, 19 Peyton Krebs, 81 Sam Lafferty, 29 Beck Malenstyn, 77 JJ Peterka, 22 Jack Quinn, 13 Lukas Rousek, 72 Tage Thompson, 89 Alex Tuch

Defensemen (6): 78 Jacob Bryson, 4 Bowen Byram, 75 Connor Clifton, 10 Henri Jokiharju, 25 Owen Power, 23 Mattias Samuelsson

Goalies (3): 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 47 James Reimer, 31 Michael Houser

Storylines

1. The defensive system

The Sabres prioritized their new defensive structure during Friday’s intrasquad scrimmage, which ended with two goals scored (by Konsta Helenius and JJ Peterka) during 50 minutes of 5-on-5 play.

The defensive focus during the scrimmage made for limited open ice for the Sabres’ forwards.

“I thought our top guys got a little bit annoyed that there wasn’t much ice to skate around in,” Ruff said. “… I do like that. I actually think our goalies like that, too.”

Saturday marks the first opportunity for the team to put Ruff’s system into practice against an opponent.

2. Byram’s first impression

With Dahlin absent, Bowen Byram has opened his first Sabres camp on the top defense pair alongside fellow left shot Owen Power. The 23-year-old caught Ruff’s eye with his two-way play during the scrimmage on Friday.

“I thought he was the best player on the ice today at the scrimmage,” Ruff said. “Almost every time the blue team was up the ice, he was a part of that. I thought he defended well at the same time.”

The Sabres acquired Byram, the fourth-overall pick in 2019 and already a Stanley Cup champion with Colorado, in exchange for forward Casey Mittelstadt ahead of the trade deadline last March. He had nine points in 18 games with the Sabres, including a goal in his debut, but said going into the offseason that he was excited about the benefit of a full camp with his new team.

“I want to be part of the solution here,” Byram said in April. “I want to help this team win. That’s definitely the goal moving forward.”

3. An opportunity for Kulich

Jiri Kulich will have a chance to continue his standout training camp as he competes to earn a spot on the NHL roster. The 20-year-old impressed with both his tenacity and his offense during the Prospects Challenge, when he scored five goals in three games. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams referred to Kulich as the best player on the ice in those contests.

Those performances earned Kulich a spot on the NHL practice group through the first three days of training camp. Kulich is competing to earn a place on the Buffalo roster after leading Rochester in goals each of the past two seasons.

The opportunity is there, Adams said.

“I think we’ve backed this up, when a player kicks the door open and belongs, we make sure they’re here,” Adams said. “And this is all about winning. So, if we feel right now he’s going to help our team, then he’s going to be here. And if he’s not (ready) right in the beginning, it’s just a matter of time until he is.”