Benson suffered an upper-body injury after an awkward collision into the board, exiting Monday's 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers after only 14:10 time-on-ice, and has not played since. The 20-year-old Benson scored a goal before his injury, giving him four points (2G / 2A) in his last six games.
Michael Kesslering will draw back into Buffalo's lineup on Thursday, resulting in Metsa being a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old Metsa, in his first NHL season, is averaging 9:43 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in 26 games.
The 26-year-old Kesselring is averaging 14:21 time-on-ice and has one assist in 21 games this season. Zach Metsa will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Kesselring's return to the lineup.
Lyon has seen most of the action while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) has been sidelined, and will return to the crease on Thursday in Buffalo's final game before the Olympic break. The 33-year-old Lyon was stellar in his previous outing, saving 38 of 41 shots (.927 SV%) in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. He has just one loss in his last 12 outings (11-1-0), boasting an impressive 2.13 GAA and .929 SV% in that stretch. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -121 home favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team on a two-game losing streak (0-1-1).
Kesselring will take a seat on Tuesday in order to make room for the return of Jacob Bryson (upper-body). Kesselring is yet to score a goal and had just one assist in 23 games this season.
Helenius was drafted 14th overall by Buffalo in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old Finnish forward is in his second professional season and has been impressive since making his NHL debut last month, scoring four points (1G / 3A) in seven games.
The Sabres will turn to Ellis between the pipes for the tail-end of their back-to-back on Tuesday. Ellis' last action was a relief appearance in favour of the injured Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back on January 27th. The 25-year-old netminder stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced in the game as the Sabres defeated the Maple Leafs by a score of 7-4. Ellis and the Sabres enter action on Tuesday as sizable underdogs at +160 on the money line.
Benson suffered an upper-body injury after an awkward collision into the board, exiting Monday's 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers after only 14:10 time-on-ice. The 20-year-old Benson scored a goal before his injury, giving him four points (2G / 2A) in his last six games.
Benson suffered an upper-body injury after an awkward collision into the board, exiting Monday's 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers after only 14:10 time-on-ice. The 20-year-old Benson scored a goal before his injury, giving him four points (2G / 2A) in his last six games.
With only one game remaining for Buffalo before the Olympic Break, it was semi-expected that Luukkonen would not play. Still, his inability to participate for Sweden at the Olympics poses some concern. Extensive details about Luukkonen's injury have not been revealed, but the team hopes he can return when NHL action resumes on February 25th.
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) still sidelined, Lyon will return to the crease on Monday against his former team, the Florida Panthers. The 33-year-old Lyon was solid in his previous game, saving 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%), but suffered a rare defeat in a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Lyon has won 10 of his last 11 games (10-1-0), posting a tremendous 2.05 GAA and .930 SV%. The Sabres enter Monday's contest as slight +103 road underdogs against a Panthers team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).
Helenius was drafted 14th overall by Buffalo in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old Finnish forward is in his second professional season and has been impressive since making his NHL debut last month, scoring four points (1G / 3A) in seven games. Isak Rosen will draw into the lineup as his replacement.
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) still sidelined, Lyon will likely return to the crease on Monday against his former team, the Florida Panthers. The 33-year-old Lyon was solid in his previous game, saving 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%), but suffered a rare defeat in a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Lyon has won 10 of his last 11 games (10-1-0), posting a tremendous 2.05 GAA and .930 SV%. The Sabres enter Monday's contest as slight +103 road underdogs against a Panthers team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expected to miss at least a week due to an injury, Alex Lyon will see an increase in usage, beginning with Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. The 33-year-old Lyon has been terrific lately and is coming off his second shutout of the season, a 26-save performance in a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders. Lyon has won nine straight outings, posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .927 SV%. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -120 home favourites against a Kings team with points in six straight games (3-0-3).
Luukkonen was having a rough performance on Tuesday, allowing two goals on five shots (.600 SV%) and did not get the chance to redeem himself, exiting the game midway through the first period because of a lower-body injury. Colten Ellis entered the crease as Lukkonen's replacement, but expect Alex Lyon to see most of the action while Luukkonen is sidelined.
