Larsson to make season debut as Sabres conclude homestand vs. Avs

Johan Larsson will be back in the lineup for the Buffalo Sabres when they close their four-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
Larsson has been out since sustaining a lower-body injury on a blocked shot during Buffalo's preseason game in Pittsburgh on Sept. 26. He'll replace Remi Elie on a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Tage Thompson.
"He's been out for over two weeks now and he's worked his way back in," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "We want to get him back in the lineup, get him a game. He can help out on the faceoffs, help out on the penalty kill.
"He's playing with Casey and Thompson tonight, which I think will bring some stability to that line."

Housley has been careful to provide defensive-zone support for Mittelstadt as he continues to grow his own defensive game, with Vladimir Sobotka and Zemgus Girgensons each having lined up on the young center's left wing so far this season.

Like Sobotka and Girgensons, Larsson's ability to play center will allow him to take draws in the defensive zone and assume responsibilities down low as needed.
"I think he's very versatile," Housley said. "He can take some D-zone draws as well, maybe in the offensive zone on the right dot he can come in and take some draws. We just felt it was important to get him in a game early here because he's been out for a while."
"It definitely helps me out a lot," Mittelstadt said. "If he's back first, he can go low and I can cover his spot on the wing. He's a good faceoff guy, too, so that helps me as well. So, I think, overall, he'll help me a lot. I think he's got some skill on top of that offensively. I think it'll be a good fit."
Mittelstadt has been held without a goal through three games, although he has had his share of chances in limited ice time. What's more important, Housley said, is the work the 19-year-old rookie has put in on the other end of the ice.
"He's been terrific," Housley said. "He's coming back, watching his shifts with the coaches. He's really worked on that part of his game. He's made some steps in that area, coming back and supporting down low in the defensive zone. His reads are really good.
'Those other things will take care of themselves, he's a very talented and skilled player. He's got to learn to play in his own end, which he's doing a good job of."

The Sabres are looking to finish off their homestand with a third-straight victory, coming on the heels of a 4-2 win over Vegas on Monday. Carter Hutton - owner of a 5-1-0 career record of Colorado - will get his fourth-straight start in net.
Afterward, the Sabres will begin a season-long five-game road trip out west with a matchup in Arizona on Saturday.
"It definitely feels different," Larsson said. "Obviously, we've got a good start. But, I mean, we're three games in so we've got to keep going here. We've got a big game here tonight before we go on the road."

Climbing the ladder

Jason Pominville will play his 664th game as a Sabre, tying Mike Foligno and Ric Seiling for 10th on the franchise's all-time list.
"I'm sure once I'm done playing it's something I'll have time to reflect on a little bit more and appreciate more," Pominville said. "But it's definitely humbling, having an opportunity to play that many games and stick around for that long. It is pretty special, playing the majority of my games with this team too."This likely won't be the last time we talk about a milestone for Pominville, by the way. After tonight, he'll need nine more games to reach 1,000 for his career, 17 to tie Rick Martin at ninth on the franchise list and 48 to match Alexei Zhitnik at eighth.
Pominville is also nine goals from tying Alexander Mogilny for 11th-most in franchise history (211) and 14 from tying Don Luce at 10th (216).

Scouting the Avs

Colorado (2-1-0) boasts one of the league's premier talents in Nathan MacKinnon, who finished second in Hart Trophy voting last season after scoring 97 points (39+58) in 74 games. He's picked up right where he left off, with goals in each of his first three games playing between Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.
"He's still a threat today," Housley said. "He's got tremendous speed. We're going to have to be aware when that line's out because they are dangerous, and they can make plays coming up the ice full-speed and even in their cycle game.
"We're going to have to communicate very well in the D-zone because there's a lot of switches and their D like to get involved in the play."
Semyon Varlamov will start in net for the Avalance.

How to watch

Tonight's game can be seen on MSG-B, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. You can also listen to the game live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7.

Projected lineup

43 Conor Sheary - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
53 Jeff Skinner - 10 Patrik Berglund - 21 Kyle Okposo
22 Johan Larsson - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 72 Tage Thompson
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
19 Jake McCabe - 26 Rasmus Dahlin
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark