Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Blue Jackets

Connor Clifton will make his preseason debut for the Sabres tonight in their penultimate exhibition game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Erik Johnson, who was also expected to debut, will not play due to lower-body aggravation, Sabres coach Don Granato announced following the team’s morning skate. Henri Jokiharju will join the game roster in Johnson’s absence.

“Johnson had some aggravation and because of that we’re gonna hold him out tonight. We don’t want him to aggravate anything more,” Granato said. “He wanted to go out on the ice, he wanted to play, but it’s not worth it because it’s one of those nagging things he could aggravate.”

The game can be streamed live on Sabres.com featuring commentary from the Columbus broadcast crew, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know.

1. The lineup

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will make his second start of the preseason and is expected to play the full game in goal, with Eric Comrie backing up.

Here’s how the group lined up during the morning skate:

2. Clifton’s debut

The Sabres signed Clifton and Johnson on the opening day of free agency in an effort to add veteran depth to their defense corps and penalty kill. Both have had consistent partners in practices throughout training camp: Clifton with Rasmus Dahlin, Johnson alongside Mattias Samuelsson.

Granato commented on the natural chemistry he witnessed between Dahlin and Clifton following the team’s intrasquad scrimmage on the third day of camp, a sentiment both defensemen have echoed. The Sabres coach further explained his reasoning behind the pairing this morning.

“They’re communicating really well, was the key,” Granato said. “They’re talking after a rep and they’re getting on the same page. Rasmus was helping Connor acclimate to how we want to play, or re-acclimating to how we want to play, and Connor’s communicating to him how he sees the situation.

“So, why would I change that right now? There’s a lot of good happening. The very same thing was happening with Erik Johnson and Samuelsson. So, there’s still nourishment, there’s still things happening there that are really good, which is what you want at this time of the year.”

3. More looks for Benson, Johnson

Zach Benson and Ryan Johnson – both participating in their first NHL training camps – will play their fifth preseason games tonight, a testament to how both have impressed to date.

Benson, the 13th-overall pick in this summer’s NHL Draft, assisted on the tying goal and then scored the game winner against Columbus on Saturday, upping his point total to four (2+2) through four preseason games. He has remained in the bumper position on the top power-play unit in recent practices.

Johnson, a first-round pick in 2019, has embraced a defense-first, penalty-kill role as he’s transitioned from a four-year career at the University of Minnesota.

“He’s very intelligent,” Granato said of Johnson. “What I think of when I say that is, he’s acclimated very fast to how we want to play systematically, to how we want to play as a pair of D. It’s been really impressive to see that in him.”

4. Granato on the goaltending trio

Granato reiterated his comfort level in having Luukkonen, Comrie, and Devon Levi all on the NHL club should the team elect to proceed with three goaltenders once 23-man rosters are due next week.

“With these three in particular, a lot less challenge than you would think just looking at where they’re at in their careers,” Granato said. “They’re hungry, they’re young, they haven’t played a lot of games in the NHL. They’re each and every day working to get better and they know they can get better.

“… So, we’ll see what happens, but I’m very comfortable with how all three have played to this point in camp and how they’ve all worked together and how they’ve worked for this team.”

5. Scouting the Blue Jackets

Columbus will dress the majority of its NHL roster, including forwards Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, and Boone Jenner and defenseman Zach Werenski.

You can view the Blue Jackets’ roster in its entirety in the tweet below.