Storylines
1. Lineup news (updated 11:15 a.m.)
JJ Peterka will be out for the second straight game as he continues to work his way back from the concussion he sustained in Czechia last Saturday. Peterka did participate in the optional morning skate, his fourth straight day skating with the team.
“He’s gonna get a good skate, good workout,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “I would anticipate next game.”
Devon Levi will start in goal, Ruff announced. Levi stopped 34 of 37 shots in his season debut against the Devils last Saturday.
2. Respect the process
The Sabres will be look to replicate much of what they accomplished in Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. They earned lopsided advantages in shots (33-23) and high-danger scoring chances (20-6) but were held to one goal thanks to a confluence of circumstances: highlight-reel saves by goaltender Darcy Kuemper, shots off the post, and a shot that crossed the line about a tenth of a second after the first period expired.
Ruff, while disappointed with two third-period mistakes that allowed the Kings to take the lead, said it was as close as the Sabres have played to their targeted identity so far in the young season. If they continue in that direction, goals are bound to follow.
“We’re just trying to be a process-based group,” McLeod said. “I think we improved a lot from our games in Prague. So, you’ve got to take that as a positive and I think on most nights we probably come away with two points there – at least a point. So, we’ve just got to stick with it and build on the positives of that game.”
3. Scouting the Panthers (updated 1 p.m.)
The Panthers will be without two of their top forwards in Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, coach Paul Maurice announced this morning. Barkov is expected to miss two to three weeks with a lower-body injury while Tkachuk is out due to an illness.
Spencer Knight will start in goal.
