Sabres vs. Lightning | 5 things to know before Tuesday's game

Forward Tyson Jost will make his regular-season debut for the Sabres on Tuesday, entering the lineup in place of Victor Olofsson for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning at KeyBank Center.

Jost will center Buffalo’s fourth line between Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo while Peyton Krebs will move to the wing on a line with JJ Peterka and Dylan Cozens.

Following the team’s morning skate, coach Don Granato said that the intent is to help Cozens and Peterka find their rhythm alongside Krebs, who he felt really elevated his game against the New York Islanders on Saturday.

“I think the Cozens line hasn’t been in sync yet and we’ll shift Krebs there,” Granato said. “I thought Krebs played really well the other night, better than – he was OK against the Rangers in Game 1 but certainly elevated in Game 2. We’ll see how that looks with Krebs, Cozens and Peterka – three young guys together. That was the driving force of it.”

Putting the trio together was intriguing for Granato as he now has both a righty and lefty on the same line who are able to take draws based on the situation.

“There’s a lot of intrigue to it,” Granato said. “Obviously, you’re dealing with three very young players and three players you know are getting better every day by virtue of that. Three guys who have a lot of skill, also. You have a righty and lefty to take draws that are comfortable in draws, getting better in faceoffs as well.

“…Those three players together I’m excited to see what may come of that and there is some intrigue.”

Granato is also looking forward to seeing Jost in the lineup after he put together a strong training camp and has been helping many of the Sabres’ young players grow.

“Very important to get Tyson in the lineup. He means a lot to the guys in the locker room, and he does a lot,” Granato said. “He’s a very good role model for his young players. He’s walked the walk very recently.

“He’s helped JJ Peterka, he’s helped all our guys that are younger than him, especially his path going from Colorado to Minnesota to here. It’s just a different perspective that he’s shared with guys and then as an athlete, he’s an incredible athlete. He works very, very had every day. It’s important to give him an opportunity sooner than later.”

Tuesday’s game will be exclusively televised on ESPN. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550 when the puck drops at 7:30.

1. Projected lines

Here's how the forward group lined up for morning skate:

53 Jeff Skinner - 72 Tage Thompson - 89 Alex Tuch

77 JJ Peterka - 24 Dylan Cozens - 19 Peyton Krebs

12 Jordan Greenway - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 9 Zach Benson

28 Zemgus Girgensons - 17 Tyson Jost - 21 Kyle Okposo

2. In the crease

Goaltender Devon Levi is expected to make his third straight start in net for the Sabres as Granato and staff focus on getting him into a rhythm to start the season.

Levi posted a 5-2-0 record and .905 save percentage in seven starts last season and has opened the 2023-24 campaign with two losses and a .881 save percentage.  

“Devon has, to this point, established himself that we are in a position that we want to get him into a rhythm,” Granato said. “So, that is a priority right now. He has not had as many games in the NHL and to get him in that rhythm, would benefit him and us more.”

After the game, the coaching staff will further evaluate the goaltending situation before making any decisions about the remainder of the homestand.

3. Back at it

After falling to the New York Rangers 5-1 in their season opener and 3-2 to the Islanders on Saturday, the Sabres will look to rebound from their slow start and get back to their game.

Granato is not worried about the team finding its groove because he knows how much better his group is than they were a year ago. He is confident the team will be able to bounce back quickly from the 0-2-0 start.

“You can tell the guys are feeling better about their game and you know that’s going to happen,” he said. “I think our advantage is as the season goes along and we get a little more in sync, we are in a much, much better place than we were one year ago from the standpoint that we are much more talented and experienced, and you can see that behind the scenes. I feel that every day and certainly gives me a lot of confidence standing here knowing how much better our guys are than one year ago today and yeah, we’re getting better fast right now, which is good.”

4. Line to watch for

Through two games, the line of Zach Benson, Jordan Greenway, and Casey Mittelstadt has a corsi for percentage of 59.09 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. In 5-on-5 situations, their line has held a 15-5 edge in scoring chances against opposing teams. 

While Granato has emphasized Benson's hockey sense and two-way game, he has also been impressed with the 18-year-old's attitude while doing a pre-scout.

"When you talk to him even before the game and we give a little pre-scout and he's chuckling with one of the coaches, `Of course I know this team. I've watched them a thousand times on video and studied them,'" Granato said.

"And that's an example of probably why he has some elite attributes. He's coached himself on the way up, studied the game, studied ways to be successful within the game."

5. Scouting the Lightning

Tampa enters tonight’s contest 1-2-0 on the season after dropping its last two meetings with Detroit and Ottawa.

Defenseman Victor Hedman currently leads the team with five points (1+4) in three games while Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov have recorded four points (2+2) each to begin the regular season.

Stamkos did not participate in the Lightning’s morning skate after missing Sunday’s game against Ottawa with a lower-body injury. Per coach Jon Cooper, Stamkos will be out against the Sabres and remains day to day. 

The Lightning are also without goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is expected to miss the beginning of the season after undergoing back surgery.

Following Monday’s practice at KeyBank Center, Granato stressed the talent Tampa has across the lineup and shared that the Sabres would prepare differently for this game compared to their first two matchups of the season.

“They have talent that can go up and down the rink and they're confident and comfortable,” Granato said. “…The talent they have is still something you have to respect and prepare for and we’ll just prepare a little bit differently than we would have for Game 1 or 2.”