Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Canadiens

MONTREAL – Owen Power skated with the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday morning wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, his first time on the ice with the team since he sustained an injury during practice on Feb. 12.

Power will not be in the lineup Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens but is now considered day to day, coach Don Granato said.

“I’ve been lucky where it’s continued to get better every day and I think I’m on a pretty good path right now,” Power said.

Pregame coverage on Wednesday begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG/MSG+ with puck drop scheduled for 7. Fans without cable can also stream MSG on Fubo. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know.

1. The lineup

Here’s how the group lined up during the morning skate, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expected to start in goal for the 13th time in the last 15 games:

Forwards

53 Jeff Skinner – 72 Tage Thompson – 89 Alex Tuch

12 Jordan Greenway – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 24 Dylan Cozens

9 Zach Benson – 19 Peyton Krebs – 77 JJ Peterka

50 Eric Robinson – 28 Zemgus Girgensons – 21 Kyle Okposo

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 10 Henri Jokiharju

78 Jacob Bryson – 75 Connor Clifton

38 Kale Clague – 6 Erik Johnson

Goalies

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

31 Eric Comrie

2. Clague’s debut

Kale Clague will join the lineup in place of Ryan Johnson and make his season debut. Granato said he expects the game off to be beneficial for Johnson, who has appeared in 36 games as a rookie.

The Sabres similarly gave breathers to young forwards Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, and Peyton Krebs last season.

“It’s a luxury for a guy his age to take a moment to breathe and reset,” Granato said.

Clague played 33 games for the Sabres last season and impressed the coaching staff to the extent that Granato said he vocally expressed his desire to keep the defenseman in the organization entering the offseason. Clague returned on a one-year deal in July.

The 25-year-old leads Amerks defensemen with 23 points (3+20) this season.

“Even through training camp, he knew, the message was, ‘Stay ready for your opportunity and in the process keep getting better, because you’ve done a great job of that,’” Granato said. “… And that’s what his career is going to be made upon. He’s gonna have to keep making himself better until the opportunity comes and I’m excited (about) where he’s at and that he gets an opportunity tonight.”

3. The Dads’ Trip

The Sabres have been joined by their dads and other father figures for the team’s Dads’ Trip, which will continue in Columbus on Friday. The guests watched practice in Buffalo on Tuesday and took in Wednesday’s morning skate at Bell Centre.

“It’s awesome,” said Power, who brought his dad, Zee. “I think all of the dads have done so much for us to get us to this point, so it’s nice for them to kind of come and almost live the life a little bit. I’ve had a lot of fun so far and I think he’s really enjoying it.”

4. The Krebs line

The Sabres held a 19-6 advantage in shot attempts with the forward line of Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs, and JJ Peterka on the ice during their game against Anaheim on Monday, with Benson cashing in for his sixth goal of the season.

“We had a great game. It was a blast,” Benson said. “You know, they’re both highly skilled and we all think the game alike. We all find each other. We have different qualities that I think really mesh with each other and you saw that last night.”

Read more about the trio in Tuesday’s practice report.

5. Scouting the Habs

The Canadiens have lost four of their last five games but enter Wednesday with two forwards on lengthy point streaks. Nick Suzuki has points in 10 straight games, with eight goals and eight assists in that span. Juraj Slafkovsky has six goals and six assists during an eight-game point streak.

“This team tonight is pretty dynamic,” Granato said. “They have some dynamic players and they get up and down the rink pretty quick. So, we’d love to have as many chances as we had the other night, but you definitely need to play with some solid structure against this team.”

The Sabres and Canadiens have met three times this season with the road team having won on each occasion. The Sabres won the most recent matchup 6-1 in Montreal on Jan. 4 behind a four-point night from Jeff Skinner.