Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres start their 2025-26 regular season in a couple of nights when they play host to the New York Rangers on Thursday night at KeyBank Center.
Looking back to last season, one of the Sabres' shortcomings was the defense not making consistently good plays that ended up putting the goalie in a bad situation in their own end. Heading into opening night, head coach Lindy Ruff feels that's one area his team has appeared to clean up and get better at during training camp and the preseason.
"Just trying being a lot more of a consistent team away from the puck, which I thought we saw some really good stuff in the first couple of games. We have to be a better defensive team and cut the goals-against down," said Ruff on Tuesday during his first appearance of the season on the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on WGR. "That's a team project. It's not just defensemen, that's forwards tracking hard and not giving us situations which end in odd-number rushes."
The Sabres are hopeful to end their current 14-year playoff drought, and will push to get off to a good start to the year in Buffalo. However, injury problems have already sprung up before the regular season is underway.
Perhaps the biggest injury concern for the Sabres is in net with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen dealing with a lower-body injury. While Ruff says he is feeling better, he won't be involved in practices anytime soon.
The other injury concerns with the Sabres come on the back end.
"[Mattias] Samuelson joined us [Monday] in a non-contact practice jersey. [Owen] Power should join us for practice [Tuesday], so he has started to feel real good, and I wouldn't rule him out for Thursday. That's good news," Ruff detailed with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "[Michael] Kesselring looks like he's just a little bit longer, but he's feeling better too."
Kesselring is, perhaps, the biggest addition to the Sabres' lineup this offseason, as he comes in to be that right-shot defenseman to pair with a blue liner like Power. Even with the injury, Ruff has liked what he's seen from the 25-year-old this training camp and preseason.
"You got a big man (Kesselring) that's a right-handed defensemen who moves the puck and skates real well," Ruff said. "You're looking at a guy, that even when playing with Power could really give us a 3-4 pairing that could be really strong for us. We need consistency out of our play in the back end. We need consistency out of Owen Power, and Kesselring is in the same category."
Puck drop on Thursday is slated for 7 p.m., with pregame coverage starting at 6 p.m. with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog on the radio home of the Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550
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