Wilson benefiting from added size at camp

Scott Wilson will be greeted by familiar faces when he arrives in Pittsburgh to face his former team on Wednesday night. The Penguins are icing a lineup that resembles their regular-season roster, complete with superstars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel.
The Wilson his former teammates encounter, however, should be noticeably different than the player they practiced against during his two-plus seasons in Pittsburgh. Wilson said he's come to camp 15 pounds heavier after focusing on nutrition during the summer.
"I feel a lot better," Wilson said. "I talked to a lot of people. I used to cramp and kind of be out of gas and feel like I had nothing left, so I think just with the weight, it feels like I can go longer, and I have a little bit left in the tank, as to where last year I think I got tired sometimes.
"This year, I feel like I have a little bit more to give."

Wilson was acquired by the Sabres from Detroit last December and quickly became a reliable presence at forward, someone who could move up and down the lineup depending on what the team needed on a given night. He was rewarded with a two-year deal after scoring 14 points (6+8) in 49 games with Buffalo.
Even so, he came to camp feeling like he had something to prove. Wilson is only listed at 5-foot-11, but his effectiveness is largely a product of his physicality. He works hard on the forecheck to battle and free the puck, clearing room for skill players to do their work.
He says he's "by far" the heaviest he's ever been, and it's already translated on the ice.
"I feel a lot stronger, too, obviously," he said. "I play a hard game, so I can't be skating around at 175. I kind of need to be 195, 200. Even just from the skates and battling down low, I notice a huge difference, for sure."
The change has been evident to his coach as well.
"I just like the way Willy plays the game," Phil Housley said. "He's hard on the forecheck, he's physical, he brings that presence in our locker room, winning Cups, and he's able to share the information. Right now, he's in a good place as far as the way he's playing the game.
"He's playing with speed, he's getting some opportunities, he's getting looks. I've just really liked his camp up to this state."
Wilson will skate on a line with Johan Larsson and Nick Baptiste against the Penguins on Wednesday, another chance to solidify his place in the lineup.
"I've never been a guy that's coming into camp on the top two lines," he said. "It's on me, so I'm just trying to work hard every day."

'A good test'

Competition for roster spots and ice time is ongoing, and the Sabres will carry a lineup to Pittsburgh that is heavy with players still looking to solidify roles in Buffalo. They'll have an opportunity to prove themselves against a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup.
Alex Nylander, Casey Mittelstadt and Justin Bailey will play for the second time in as many nights after appearing in the team's game against Columbus on Tuesday. Rasmus Asplund, Nicholas Baptiste, Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson are among the other young forwards in Wednesday's lineup.
"This will be a really good test for everybody, and that includes the veterans because if you look at their roster, they're going with pretty much their full team and it's going to be a great challenge," Housley said.
"Our checking is going to have to be really important tonight. Hopefully if we are reloading and we are causing some turnovers in the neutral zone, we'll be able to capitalize on some of those opportunities we'll create off that."
Here's tonight's projected lineup, with Linus Ullmark getting the nod in net.
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 29 Jason Pominville
92 Alexander Nylander - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 95 Justin Bailey
20 Scott Wilson - 22 Johan Larsson - 13 Nicholas Baptiste
41 Victor Olofsson - 74 Rasmus Asplund - 72 Tage Thompson
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Lawrence Pilut - 5 Matt Tennyson
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 27 Taylor Fedun
35 Linus Ullmark
31 Scott Wedgewood

Medical report

Defenseman Zach Bogosian is being re-evaluated for a lower-body injury after sitting out the majority of the third period against Columbus. Housley said the injury is unrelated to the hip on which he had season-ending surgery last January.
Forward Conor Sheary, meanwhile, has been upgraded to day-to-day and may return to practice with the team on Thursday. Sheary has been out since the first weekend of camp with an upper-body injury.

How to listen

Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call on WGR 550, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. We'll have postgame reactions and highlights to follow on Sabres.com.

UPDATE (3:35 p.m.): Roster moves

The Amerks will play their first preseason game tomorrow night at Harborcenter. Tickets are on sale now.