Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – It’s finally here. The Buffalo Sabres open their 2022-23 season on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.
Owen Power played eight games with the Sabres at the end of last season, but this is his first NHL opening night, and he can’t wait.
“It’s my first experience, so I think, for sure, it’s a real cool night," said Power on Thursday. "I’m just excited. Let’s get it going.”
Power says he has a little better feel for the NHL than he had for his first NHL game, so he doesn't think he'll feel as many nerves this time around.
Don Granato talked about how the team that gets to its game first will likely win the game, but this is opening night and the Sabres head coach admits it’s different.
“There’s so much emotion and anxiety that go into it that some guys are tired before the game even starts, and you can see it," said Granato on Thursday. "It looks like they’re skating in sand, and they can start pressing right away because they’ve built so much into this one moment.”
Granato says it’s the unknown, so everything is simplified. He adds the coaches will keep their messages simple, because he doesn’t want his players to overthink things.
This team is so excited about playing hockey that on Tuesday, Dahlin and probably 10 of his teammates stayed on the ice over an hour after the coaches left the ice working on things and having fun competitions.
Riley Sheahan joined his teammates in a non-contact sweater for the morning skate, and he’s the only injury the Sabres have.
As for the Senators, they look different with 34-year-old Claude Giroux in their lineup. They also traded for a goal scorer when they got Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ottawa also acquired Cam Talbot to be their goaltender from the Minnesota Wild, but he’s on Injured Reserve. The Sens now have Anton Forsberg and Magnus Hellberg as their goaltenders, with Hellberg being claimed off waivers from the Seattle Kraken.
Captain Brady Tkachuk is only 23, but he’s entering his fifth NHL season. Tkachuk scored 30 goals last season and had 67 points.
Josh Norris had 35 goals in 66 games, while Drake Batherson had 17 goals in just 46 games before being injured. Tim Stutzle is another good young player for the Sens, as he put up 58 points in just his second NHL season.
Former Sabres winger Geoff Sanderson's son will be making his NHL debut on Thursday. Jake Sanderson was Ottawa's first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft when he was the fifth overall pick. The defenseman was taken three picks before Buffalo, who ended up taking forward Jack Quinn eighth overall.
Join Schopp and the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. ET when you’ll hear from Granato, Power and Dahlin.
