Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – The Buffalo Sabres begin their 2021 preseason schedule on Tuesday in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.
As I look at the lineup, one thing that sticks out to me is Dylan Cozens is centering Jack Quinn on the right wing and J-J Peterka on the left side. That’s two first round picks (Cozens and Quinn) and a high second round selection (Peterka) put together on a line.
Sabres head coach Don Granato believes in the preseason, it’s important to see the youngsters succeed or fail on their own.
“Having the three young players playing on a line together, there’s nobody to bail them out for their mistakes. So we need to take that video and show them what they can make improvements on," Granato said following Tuesday's morning skate.
“I’d rather have them exposed right now, so we know exactly what we need to work on [rather] than having somebody covering up for them. That’s maybe what they need to work on, but they don’t. So to speed [up] the process, it’s a lot of video and putting them in situations. Now’s a really good time, because it is the preseason.”
Granato said Quinn will go back-and-forth between the wing and center throughout camp, but for this game, he’ll play the right wing.
Quinn said he feels much better since he had abdominal surgery in the offseason. The 2020 first round pick had to take some time off after the first game of the Sabres Prospects Challenge because of some discomfort that has now since gone away.
Granato isn’t too concerned about Peterka’s tendency to try to stickhandle through two or three guys and turning the puck over. He feels since the 2020 second round pick played two years of pro hockey in Austria and Germany, it won’t take long to break him of that habit.
Both Peterka and Quinn have cannons for shots, and I’ll be interested to see them on the same power play unit, manning the two flanks.
Granato mentioned how well Arttu Ruotsalainen has performed at center since training camp started. It’s his natural position that he played in Finland before being moved to the wing last year in his first bit of North American action.
After seeing him at camp, I believe he will slot in nicely behind Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt at center. I think he’s ahead of Zemgus Girgensons and Cody Eakin on the depth chart at center.
Granato said Aaron Dell will start in goal against the Blue Jackets with Dustin Tokarski also playing. Granato said near the end of the preseason, the two Sabres goalies will get full games.
Here is Tuesday’s projected lineup:
Forwards:
Peterka – Cozens – Quinn
Murray – Ruotsalainen – Hayden
Bjork – Girgensons – Hinostroza
Mersch – MacInnis – Weissbach
Defense:
Bryson – Laaksonen
Butcher – Prow
Davidson – Fitzgerald
Goalies: Dell / Tokarski
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***Photo: Micheline Michaelina (@MiMiV4682)
