Practice Report | Benson continues to grow and acclimate to the NHL 

Don Granato formed his starting lineup with Jordan Greenway, Dylan Cozens, and Zach Benson as the Buffalo Sabres took the ice for their game against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

The trio set the tone for the evening as the Sabres defeated the Red Wings 7-3, led by a three-point performance from Benson. Buffalo outshot Detroit 9-5 with Benson’s line on the ice at 5-on-5 as Greenway (0+2), Cozens (0+1), and Benson (1+2) combined for six points on the night.

“They’re all competitive people,” Granato said following Wednesday’s practice at KeyBank Center. “They take a lot of pride in getting a job done. They’ve got a great sense of objective – all three of them. … So, I like what I’ve seen out of the three of them and look forward to keeping them together.”

Benson has recorded 21 points (7+14) in 55 games to begin his rookie campaign while averaging 14:29 of ice time per game.

Granato believes that Benson is only going to continue to get better as he becomes more acclimated to the NHL due to his high hockey IQ and work ethic.

“He’s smart,” Granato said. “He’s smarter than most guys on our team in many, many areas. So [for him], it’s a little less learning and a little more acclimating. … So, it’s an acclimation and I think he’s well aware of it, conscious of it, and conscious of the process he needs to go through to get stronger and quicker. With other guys there’s a lot of learning that they need. This guy is a really, really smart hockey player already.”

Buffalo closes out its three-game homestand Thursday against the New York Islanders in the final meeting between the two teams this season. The Sabres trail the Islanders by five points for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Tickets are available here.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.

Here’s more from Wednesday’s practice.

1. The Sabres skated with the same lines and pairs as Tuesday’s game. Here’s how the team lined up:

Forwards

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 72 Tage Thompson – 89 Alex Tuch

12 Jordan Greenway – 24 Dylan Cozens – 9 Zach Benson

53 Jeff Skinner – 19 Peyton Krebs – 77 JJ Peterka

50 Eric Robinson – 17 Tyson Jost – 71 Victor Olofsson

13 Lukas Rousek

Defensemen

4 Bowen Byram – 26 Rasmus Dahlin

25 Owen Power – 10 Henri Jokiharju

78 Jacob Bryson – 75 Connor Clifton

38 Kale Clague

Goalies

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

31 Eric Comrie

2. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has started in 23 of Buffalo’s last 28 games dating back to Jan. 1, solidifying his spot as the Sabres’ primary starter.

Luukkonen has posted a 1.95 goals-against average in that span, which ranks first in the league among goaltenders with more than eight games played since Jan. 1. His .930 save percentage since Jan. 1 is tied with Florida’s Anthony Stolarz for first in the NHL (minimum eight games played).

Granato said the plan moving forward is to continue getting feedback from Luukkonen after each game to determine his workload.

“When you have a player that’s really established himself in the last two months – he’s played not [only] as a No. 1 goalie but a top goalie in the league over the last three months now,” Granato said. “That’s everything in the game of hockey. That’s your margin.”

3. Zemgus Girgensons remained on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch at practice after the trio saw success as a line against the Red Wings.

The Sabres held a 13-3 advantage in shot attempts and a 4-1 edge in high-danger scoring chances when Girgensons’ line was on the ice at 5-on-5.

Following practice, Granato shared how effective Girgensons has been at creating chances for his line with his forechecking.

“He’s been really, really good,” Granato said. “Very effective there. … Obviously, you know Zemgus is – as I would say – elite at forechecking and hounding pucks, forcing turnovers, wearing on the opposition, which Tuch is very good at as well. It gives Tuch a partner in that and it forces a lot of mistakes for the other team.”