Sabres vs. Bruins | Roster updates and lines to watch for in preseason home opener

Two days after scoring a goal in his preseason debut, forward Zach Benson is set to hit the ice for a second consecutive exhibition game when the Sabres host the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center.

Benson skated alongside Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson during the group’s morning skate and is expected to play with the duo again this evening.

“I think he’s a good hockey player and he’s earned it in a sense,” coach Don Granato said. “He might only be 18 years old, but he’s developed himself enough to be able to keep up with those two in this format.

“We want to put him in situations where he can learn, gain a lot of information to learn, and to add to his experience and those are two incredibly great guys that you can look up to, if you’re anybody really in this league, in Tommer and Skinny.”

Check out the video below for more background on Benson and why he credits his work ethic to his family's traveling amusement park business.

Rasmus Dahlin, Devon Levi, Casey Mittelstadt, and Mattias Samuelsson are among the players who will make their preseason debuts.

Alex Tuch, who was previously set to suit up, will not play against the Bruins, the team announced following morning skate. Olivier Nadeau will enter the lineup in his place.

“He’s fine. No big issue at this point,” Granato said. “He skated, had some soreness yesterday, wanted to play today. We talked about it before the skate, said, ‘Go skate, see how you feel, if it resolves.’ And he skated through the morning skate no problem, but there’s no need to put him in. I don’t want to aggravate anything I think he probably would aggravate.

“Again, I’m just pulling him out because he’s got plenty of time to get ready for the year.”

Tickets for tonight’s game are available here.

MSG will carry the NESN broadcast feed beginning at 7 p.m. while Dan Dunleavy and Marty Biron will have the radio call on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Bruins.

1. Projected lines

Here’s how the group lined up during morning skate, before it was announced that Nadeau would be playing in place of Tuch:

2.  In the crease

Devon Levi will start in goal for the Sabres while Devin Cooley will back up. Granato previously stated that the plan is for the starter to play the first two periods before the backup takes over in the third.

In seven starts last season, Levi posted a 5-2 record and .905 save percentage. Granato attributed the goaltender’s success to having a solid routine.

“Every person has their own routine and their own way of doing things. Devon’s way has got him to the NHL at a very young age,” Granato said.

3. On the power play

Here are the power-play units the group practiced with this morning:

4. Skinner readies for new season

Coming off a career year, Skinner is focused on building off that success and working with his teammates to get ready for the season ahead.

“We’re all trying to get each other ready for the season,” Skinner said. “…And then just keep building. That’s one of the things everyone talks about at camp is you start out where you are, and you want to keep getting better every day. It’s a big process I think, and we just have to keep continuing that process.”

5. Scouting the Bruins

Entering his 17th NHL season, Milan Lucic is expected to play tonight in his first preseason game since returning to Boston during free agency.

Buffalo native Trevor Kuntar is also among the names listed on the Bruins’ roster.