Jordan Greenway will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Pearson to re-enter the lineup. The 33-year-old Pearson hasn't played much since being acquired by Buffalo at the trade deadline, but he has one assist in three games.
The Sabres can lock up the top seed in the Atlantic Division on Monday, and will turn to Luukkonen to tend the twine against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old Finnish goalie didn't need to be spectacular in his previous outing, allowing three goals on 20 shots (.850 SV%) in a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers. Luukkonen has allowed three or fewer goals in eight of his last nine games (6-2-1), posting a solid 2.40 GAA and .920 SV%. The Sabres enter Monday's contest as -195 road favourites against a Blackhawks team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).
Greenway will immediately re-enter the lineup after serving as a healthy scratch on Wednesday. Tanner Pearson will sit in his place.
Pearson will immediately draw back out of the Sabres lineup after slotting in on Wednesday. Jordan Greenway will re-enter the lineup in his place.
Lyon is battling a lower-body injury that will keep him sidelined week-to-week and award Colten Ellis with his first start in over two months. The 33-year-old Lyon has struggled in recent outings, resulting in his starting only one of the team's last five games. The team hopes Lyon will be back in time for the playoffs and that the extended off-time can help him reset and return to his early-season form.
With Alex Lyon (lower body) out week-to-week, Buffalo will turn to Ellis on the tail end of a back-to-back for his first start in over two months. The 25-year-old Ellis has been with the Sabres for most of the season, frequently suiting up as the team's backup goalie to keep their tandem fresh. He appeared in a game last week in relief of Lyon, saving 20 of 23 shots (.870 SV%) in an eventual 6-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as slight -102 home underdogs against a Columbus Blue Jackets team desperate to stay within reach of the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Ellis has regularly served as Buffalo's backup goalie in recent weeks, and will return to the position on Wednesday as Alex Lyon is battling a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old Ellis as served as Buffalo's third goaltender for most of the season and has not had many opportunities to tend the twine.
Dunne has only played two games in the last month and will return to the sidelines as a healthy scratch on Wednesday. The 27-year-old forward is averaging 9:24 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) in 33 games this season.
Greenway has played the last few games for the Sabres after missing over two months due to an injury, but he will return to the sidelines on Wednesday. The 29-year-old forward is averaging 12:21 time-on-ice and has six points (1G / 5A) in 37 games this season.
Conor Timmins will draw into Buffalo's lineup on Wednesday, sending Stanley to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old Stanley has two assists and 27 penalty minutes in 14 games with the Sabres.
Pearson hasn't played much since being acquired by Buffalo at the trade deadline, but he will re-enter the lineup on Wednesday. The 33-year-old forward has one assist in two games with the Sabres.
Kozak has seen limited action in recent weeks, but he will re-enter the lineup on Wednesday against the New York Rangers. The 23-year-old Kozak is averaging 11:17 time-on-ice and has four points (2G / 2A) in 42 games this season.
Logan Stanley will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Timmins to re-enter the lineup. The 27-year-old Timmins is averaging 18:56 time-on-ice and has seven assists in 36 games this season.
For the first four weeks following the Olympic break, the Sabres had an equal goalie rotation, but with Alex Lyon struggling in recent games, the team will turn to Luukkonen for his fifth start in their last six games. The 27-year-old Luukkonen was solid in his most recent outing, saving 23 of 25 shots (.920 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Since returning from the Olympic break, Luukkonen has boasted an impressive 2.25 GAA and .921 SV% in 12 games (9-2-1). The Sabres enter Wednesday's contest as -138 home favourites against a suddenly surging New York Rangers team that has outscored opponents 27-8 in their last six games (5-1-0).
Luke Schenn will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Kesselring to re-enter the lineup. The 26-yeaer-old Kesselring has not played in four weeks. He has two assists and is averaging 13:26 time-on-ice through 32 games this season.
Michael Kesselring will re-enter Buffalo's lineup on Wednesday, sending Schenn to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 36-year-old Schenn has been used sparingly since being acquired by Buffalo at the trade deadline. The 36-year-old defenseman has zero points and seven hits in three games with Buffalo.
Lyon was already schedule to not dress in Wednesday's game against the New York Rangers, as the Sabres have regularly had Colten Ellis serve as the team's back up goalie, but now he will be sidelined due to a lower-body ailment. The 33-year-old Lyon has struggled in recent outings, resulting in his starting only one of the team's last five games. The severity of Lyon's injury is unclear, but the team will hope he can use the time off to reset and return to his early-season form.
For the first four weeks following the Olympic break, the Sabres had an equal goalie rotation, but with Alex Lyon struggling in recent games, the team will turn to Luukkonen for his fifth start in their last six games. The 27-year-old Luukkonen was solid in his most recent outing, saving 23 of 25 shots (.920 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Since returning from the Olympic break, Luukkonen has boasted an impressive 2.25 GAA and .921 SV% in 12 games (9-2-1). The Sabres enter Wednesday's contest as -138 home favourites against a suddenly surging New York Rangers team that has outscored opponents 27-8 in their last six games (5-1-0).
For the first four weeks following the Olympic break, the Sabres had an equal goalie rotation, but with Alex Lyon struggling in recent games, the team will turn to Luukkonen for his fourth start in their last five games. The 27-year-old Luukkonen was solid in his most recent outing, saving 20 of 22 shots (.909 SV%), but did not receive enough goal support in an eventual 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Since returning from the Olympic break, Luukkonen is boasting an impressive 2.30 GAA and .921 SV% in 11 games (8-2-1). The Sabres enter Monday's contest as +105 home underdogs against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a must-win game if they have any intentions of winning the Atlantic Division.
Zach Metsa will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Schenn to re-enter the lineup. The 36-year-old Schenn has not played in over three weeks and has only played two games with the Sabres since being acquired at the trade deadline.
