Buffalo Sabres News

Alex Lyon (lower body) is nearing his return, so Luukkonen, who has struggled this season, needs to improve if he hopes to be in the Sabres' rotation, which has leaned more on Colten Ellis in recent games. That said, the 27-year-old Luukkonen is coming off consecutive strong outings (2-0-0), saving 51 of 55 shots (.927 SV%). Before those two outings, Luukkonen had allowed three or more goals in eight of nine games (3-3-3). The Sabres enter Wednesday's game as +114 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team coming off a devastating last-second 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Crevier has been sidelined for a week with an undisclosed ailment, but he could return on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 25-year-old Crevier is averaging 12:52 time-on-ice and has one assist in 15 games this season.

Alex Lyon (lower body) is nearing his return, so Luukkonen, who has struggled this season, needs to improve if he hopes to be in the Sabres' rotation, which has leaned more on Colten Ellis in recent games. That said, the 27-year-old Luukkonen is coming off consecutive strong outings (2-0-0), saving 51 of 55 shots (.927 SV%). Before those two outings, Luukkonen had allowed three or more goals in eight of nine games (3-3-3). The Sabres enter Wednesday's game as +114 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team coming off a devastating last-second 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

McLeod has been sidelined for the past two games, but will re-enter the lineup on Wednesday. The 27-year-old McLeod scored an impressive 107 points (34G / 73A) in his first two seasons with Buffalo, playing 160 games, but has struggled offensively in 2026-27. In 15 games, McLeod has just three points (1G / 2A) and a -7 plus/minus.

Lyon suffered an upper-body injury in training camp and has not played this season. He has practiced for the past week and appears to be nearing his season debut, as he is set to travel with the Sabres on their upcoming road trip. The Sabres have seen inconsistent goaltending from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis. They are eager for Lyon's return, hoping he can regain his form from last season, when he posted a 2.77 GAA and .907 SV% in 36 appearances (20-10-4).

Conor Timmins (lower body) will make his season debut on Friday, sending Crevier to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old Crevier has played all 15 games this season, averaging 12:52 time-on-ice and scoring one assist.

Timmins has struggled to stay healthy at the NHL level, failing to surpass 52 games played in all but one of his seven seasons. He has already missed Buffalo's first 14 games this season, but has been practicing since Monday and will debut in Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old defenseman had eight assists, 29 hits, and 81 blocks in 39 games last season. Louis Crevier will be a healthy scratch to accommodate the lineup change.

With Jiri Kulich expected to return from a concussion, McLeod will be the odd man out as a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old McLeod scored an impressive 107 points (34G / 73A) in his first two seasons with Buffalo, playing 160 games, but has struggled offensively in 2026-27. In 15 games, McLeod has just three points (1G / 2A) and a -7 plus/minus.

Kulich has been sidelined for over a week with a concussion, but has been practicing for the past few days. He was cleared to return on Wednesday, but remained sidelined and is anticipating to return for Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 22-year-old Czech forward has three points (1G / 2A) in eight games.

Colten Ellis has been between the pipes for the past two games, but Luukkonen will return on Friday. With Alex Lyon (upper body) nearing his season debut, Luukkonen's inconsistent start to the 2026-27 season could put his future playing time in jeopardy. That said, the 27-year-old Finnish goalie is coming off one of his best outings of the season, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. He has a 3.40 GAA and .874 SV% in 10 games (4-3-3). The Sabres enter Friday's game as -170 home favourites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that defeated the Dallas Stars 2-1 in a shootout last night.

Ellis has started two of the past three games for the Sabres and will return to the crease on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Ellis has been inconsistent, but has won more often than not. In his most recent game, he allowed six goals on 35 shots (.829 SV%), but managed to hold on for a 7-6 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He has a 3.11 GAA and .880 SV% in five games this season (3-1-1). The Sabres enter Wednesday's action as -126 home favourites against an Ottawa Senators team that has lost three of their last four games (1-2-1).

Timmins has struggled to stay healthy at the NHL level, failing to surpass 52 games played in all but one of his seven seasons. He has already missed Buffalo's first 14 games this season, but has been practicing since Monday. As of Wednesday, he has been cleared to play, but may remain on the sidelines until Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old defenseman had eight assists, 29 hits, and 81 blocks in 39 games last season.

Kulich has been sidelined for over a week with a concussion, but returned to practice on Monday. He has been cleared to play as of Wednesday, but may remain on the sidelines until Friday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 22-year-old Czech forward has three points (1G / 2A) in eight games.

Ellis has started two of the past three games for the Sabres and will return to the crease on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Ellis has been inconsistent, but has won more often than not. In his most recent game, he allowed six goals on 35 shots (.829 SV%), but managed to hold on for a 7-6 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He has a 3.11 GAA and .880 SV% in five games this season (3-1-1). The Sabres enter Wednesday's action as -126 home favourites against an Ottawa Senators team that has lost three of their last four games (1-2-1).

Lyon suffered an upper-body injury in training camp and has not played this season, but returned to practice on Monday. The Sabres have seen inconsistent goaltending from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis in the interim. They are eager for Lyon's return, hoping he can regain his form from last season, when he posted a 2.77 GAA and .907 SV% in 36 appearances (20-10-4).

Benson was drafted 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and made his presence felt with a breakout 2025-26 season, scoring 43 points (13G / 30A) in 65 games. The 21-year-old forward has built on momentum from a successful postseason, starting the 2026-27 campaign at nearly a point-per-game pace, scoring 13 points (2G / 11A) in 14 games. He was absent from practice on Monday, but returned on Tuesday and should play on Wednesday.

Benson was drafted 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and made his presence felt with a breakout 2025-26 season, scoring 43 points (13G / 30A) in 65 games. The 21-year-old forward has built on momentum from a successful postseason, starting the 2026-27 campaign at nearly a point-per-game pace, scoring 13 points (2G / 11A) in 14 games. The Sabres return to action on Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.

Helenius has not played since recording an assist in a 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on October 28th, and will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future. The 20-year-old Finnish forward is averaging 13:00 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in 11 games.