Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres will play their first home preseason game on Tuesday when they host the Boston Bruins.
Alex Tuch was supposed to be in the lineup, but the Sabres say he’s not going to play due to some soreness. Olivier Nadeau will play his first preseason game.
Devon Levi will likely get the first two periods in goal, followed by free agent signee Devin Cooley. Cooley played 26 games in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals last season, going 15-8-2 with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
Buffalo came back from a 2-0 deficit in Washington during its first preseason game on Sunday to eventually beat the Capitals, 4-3 in a shootout. JJ Peterka scored in the shootout, but it was Brandon Biro’s shootout goal that won it.
Zach Benson had a very good game playing on the wing with Tyson Jost and Jordan Greenway. He tipped in a Ryan Johnson shot to give the Sabres a 3-2 lead in the third period. Even though it was preseason, Benson was extremely happy after the game on the postgame show.
The best thing about his performance is no situation seemed too big for him. He seems to be older than an 18-year-old in his decision making, and he’s always on the puck.
The biggest thing that could hamper Benson from making the team right off the bat is his size and strength. He may not be ready for the physicality of the NHL at this time.
During camp, Benson has been playing on the wing with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner, and he’s impressed Thompson. That line will be together on Tuesday.
During camp, Rasmus Dahlin was on the blue line with Connor Clifton, while Mattias Samuelsson was paired with Erik Johnson. On Tuesday, it’ll be back to the way the season ended, as Dahlin and Samuelsson will be paired together against the Bruins.
Here's a look at the lines:
Forwards:
Jeff Skinner - Tage Thompson - Zach Benson
Jiri Kulich - Casey Mittelstadt - Alex Tuch (Olivier Nadeau)
Brandon Biro - Tyson Kozak - Isak Rosen
Brett Murray - Mason Jobst - Filip Cederqvist
Defense:
Rasmus Dahlin - Mattias Samuelsson
Riley Stillman - Joe Cecconi
Mats Lindgren - Kale Clague
Lindgren is the Sabres' 2022 fourth-round pick and hasn’t been signed to his entry-level contract yet. However, I think he’s looked good through camp and during the Sabres Prospects Challenge.
The 19-year-old has spent three seasons in the Western Hockey League split between the Kamloops Blazers and Red Deer Rebels.
Join Brian Koziol and me at 6:45 p.m. ET for pregame coverage on WGR, followed by the call with Dan Dunleavy and Marty Biron starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Losi and Gangi
