Buffalo, NY (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres may get another one of their new players in the lineup on Thursday against the Washington Capitals.
Defenseman Luke Schenn was paired with Logan Stanley during the morning skate. Both Schenn and Stanley came over to Buffalo in the same trade with the Sabres before last week's deadline.
When asked if Schenn would play Thursday night, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff was non-commital.
"He may," Ruff said.
Rochester Americans captain Zach Metsa is still up with the team, and was skating on a pairing with Michael Kesselring.
It also doesn’t appear winger Tanner Pearson will play on Thursday, as he was skating on the extra line with Josh Dunne and Tyson Kozak. Kozak returned after being day-to-day with an injury.
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Buffalo is riding an eight-game winning streak and is in first place in the Atlantic Division and second place in the Eastern Conference with a points percentage of .662. The Carolina Hurricanes lead the Conference at .688 while the Tampa Lightning are second in the Atlantic at .651.
Alex Tuch didn’t play the final 7:24 of Tuesday’s game, but was a full participant in the morning skate. Ruff said,
“He just had a lower-body that we were precautionary with, but we don’t know if he’s going to play tonight yet.”
Schenn has played many games against the Sabres when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay. He realizes that this year’s Sabres team is quite a bit different than the teams he used to face,
“Playing against them they’ve always had the speed and the skill, but now it’s all coming together and they’re playing a way more complete game and defending playing a 200-foot game and obviously the confidence is there too, so it’s been fun to watch from a distance.
“We played here earlier in the year with the Jets and I remember walking out of that game saying, ‘There’s no way this team should be in the position they’re in right now, they’re too good, they’re too skilled and fast,’ they’ve got size, all the pieces you need to figure it out.”
Buffalo went into that game with a .480 points percentage which was dead last in the Eastern Conference and 29th in the NHL.
Schenn is joining a defense that has a very good top-four which is also very young. He is impressed,
“It’s the size that is the biggest thing because teams that win have a big D-core and everyone’s big and heavy on top of that. But how they can break the puck out, walk the line in the O-zone—they’re pretty good at finding seams, making good passes and skating out of trouble. They’ve got experience and everyone is just starting to enter their prime.”
Schenn has been the new guy in the dressing room 12 different times. He said it’s not hard for him,
“I’ve been around so many guys and so many locker-rooms, I get a pulse of the room and it’s just be yourself. I’m not going to sit back and be quiet, and see if I fit in, I’m just going to be myself.”
It’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s turn in goal. He’s 15-7-2 with a 2.74 goals against and .905 save percentage. He’s 11-2-0 in 13 games and has won five straight games.
The Capitals are 12th in the Eastern Conference with a points percentage of .538. The Detroit Red Wings hold the eighth and final playoff spot at .608.
Washington has only won one of its last five games. Alex Ovechkin hasn’t put up his typical numbers as he has 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points in 66 games. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun has 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points.
In goal, Logan Thompson is 22-19-4 this season with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He also played for Team Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Tune in during “Schopp and the Bulldog” at 6 p.m. for pregame coverage on WGR when you’ll hear from Ruff, Schenn and Pearson.
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