Sabres vs. Red Bull | How to watch, storylines, and more

MUNICH, Germany – JJ Peterka smiled as he reflected on what it felt like to step onto the ice at SAP Garden on Friday morning.

The Sabres have spent the week practicing on an auxiliary rink within the facility, but the morning skate marked their first time on the main ice sheet that will play host to their game tonight against Red Bull Munich. It will be the grand-opening event for the 11,500-seat arena.

“Pretty special,” Peterka said. “Just super excited, super pumped. We’re playing in an awesome rink. It was really special to skate out there this morning. All of the guys are excited, but yeah, I think I’m the most excited here.”

Peterka, a Munich native and former Red Bull player, said he expects to have around 45 friends and family members for the game, which is the first of three contests the Sabres will play in Europe as part of the NHL Global Series. The next two games will be against the New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia next Friday and Saturday.

Puck drop is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

Tune-in (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG

Tune-in (Out of market): NHL Network

Listen: 1520 AM

Storylines

1. Dahlin’s first game as captain

Rasmus Dahlin will wear the “C” on his jersey for the first time after being named captain of the Sabres on Thursday. The defenseman said receiving the title was his “proudest moment.”

“First of all, I’m very, very thankful and it’s an honor,” he said. “It’s probably my proudest moment of my life. It’s a big responsibility, but I’m ready for it. I’m super excited. To do it with the team we have right now and where we’re going, I feel like I can be a part of something bit.”

Dahlin will be playing his first game of the preseason, having missed the first two exhibitions due to an injury he sustained during the opening practice last Wednesday.

2. In the crease

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen spent the morning skate in the visiting net, a sign that he could get the start tonight. Luukkonen stopped 15 of 18 shots in his previous preseason start, a 7-3 victory over Pittsburgh last Saturday.

3. Patience and details

Tage Thompson spoke Thursday about the detail-oriented approach that carried the Sabres to high-scoring wins in their first two preseason games, a formula they will seek to replicate against a talented Red Bull team.

“So far, I’ve just liked our commitment to the game plan that Lindy set forward, the coaching staff,” Thompson said. “Just very detail oriented. We’re not letting anything slip. And I think if you look at both of the preseason games we’ve played so far, they’ve been very hardworking, very detail-oriented games that the scoring didn’t really come until the second and third when we wore the (other) team out.

“I think that’s because of how disciplined and how bought in everyone’s been to the defensive side of the game. Stopping on pucks, tracking, closing quick in the D zone, things like that add up over the game and I think that’s what led to our offense.”