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Buffalo Sabres News

Ellis will start in Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

The Sabres will turn to Ellis between the pipes for the tail-end of their back-to-back on Tuesday. Ellis' last action was a relief appearance in favour of the injured Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back on January 27th. The 25-year-old netminder stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced in the game as the Sabres defeated the Maple Leafs by a score of 7-4. Ellis and the Sabres enter action on Tuesday as sizable underdogs at +160 on the money line.

Colten Ellis
Benson (undisclosed) is out vs. Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Benson suffered an upper-body injury after an awkward collision into the board, exiting Monday's 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers after only 14:10 time-on-ice. The 20-year-old Benson scored a goal before his injury, giving him four points (2G / 2A) in his last six games.

Zach Benson
Benson (upper-body) left Monday's game vs. Florida and did not return.

Benson suffered an upper-body injury after an awkward collision into the board, exiting Monday's 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers after only 14:10 time-on-ice. The 20-year-old Benson scored a goal before his injury, giving him four points (2G / 2A) in his last six games.

Zach Benson
Luukkonen has been ruled out for the Milano Coritan 2026 Olympics due to a lower-body injury.

With only one game remaining for Buffalo before the Olympic Break, it was semi-expected that Luukkonen would not play. Still, his inability to participate for Sweden at the Olympics poses some concern. Extensive details about Luukkonen's injury have not been revealed, but the team hopes he can return when NHL action resumes on February 25th.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Lyon will start in Florida on Monday.

With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) still sidelined, Lyon will return to the crease on Monday against his former team, the Florida Panthers. The 33-year-old Lyon was solid in his previous game, saving 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%), but suffered a rare defeat in a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Lyon has won 10 of his last 11 games (10-1-0), posting a tremendous 2.05 GAA and .930 SV%. The Sabres enter Monday's contest as slight +103 road underdogs against a Panthers team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).

Alex Lyon
Helenius is expected to be a healthy scratch on Monday in Florida.

Helenius was drafted 14th overall by Buffalo in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old Finnish forward is in his second professional season and has been impressive since making his NHL debut last month, scoring four points (1G / 3A) in seven games. Isak Rosen will draw into the lineup as his replacement.

Konsta Helenius
Lyon is in the starter's crease at Buffalo's morning skate.

With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) still sidelined, Lyon will likely return to the crease on Monday against his former team, the Florida Panthers. The 33-year-old Lyon was solid in his previous game, saving 27 of 30 shots (.900 SV%), but suffered a rare defeat in a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Lyon has won 10 of his last 11 games (10-1-0), posting a tremendous 2.05 GAA and .930 SV%. The Sabres enter Monday's contest as slight +103 road underdogs against a Panthers team on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).

Alex Lyon
Lyon will start against the Kings on Thursday.

With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expected to miss at least a week due to an injury, Alex Lyon will see an increase in usage, beginning with Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. The 33-year-old Lyon has been terrific lately and is coming off his second shutout of the season, a 26-save performance in a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders. Lyon has won nine straight outings, posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .927 SV%. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -120 home favourites against a Kings team with points in six straight games (3-0-3).

Alex Lyon
Luukkonen (lower-body) is expected to miss the next week and then will be re-evaluated.

Luukkonen was having a rough performance on Tuesday, allowing two goals on five shots (.600 SV%) and did not get the chance to redeem himself, exiting the game midway through the first period because of a lower-body injury. Colten Ellis entered the crease as Lukkonen's replacement, but expect Alex Lyon to see most of the action while Luukkonen is sidelined.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Lyon is in the starter's crease at Buffalo's morning skate.

With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expected to miss at least a week due to an injury, Alex Lyon will see an increase in usage, beginning with Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. The 33-year-old Lyon has been terrific lately and is coming off his second shutout of the season, a 26-save performance in a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders. Lyon has won nine straight outings, posting an impressive 2.11 GAA and .927 SV%. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -120 home favourites against a Kings team with points in six straight games (3-0-3).

Alex Lyon
Luukkonen (lower-body) left Tuesday's game vs. Toronto and did not return.

Luukkonen was having a rough performance on Tuesday, allowing two goals on five shots (.600 SV%) and did not get the chance to redeem himself, exiting the game midway through the first period because of a lower-body injury. Colten Ellis entered the crease as Lukkonen's replacement, but expect Alex Lyon to see most of the action if Luukkonen misses any time.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Luukkonen will start in Toronto on Tuesday.

The Sabres are currently alternating between Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and will turn to Lukkonen to tend the twine on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 26-year-old Luukkonen was stellar in his previous outing, saving 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. In his last 10 games (7-2-1), Luukkonen is sporting an impressive 2.41 GAA and .922 SV%. The Sabres enter Tuesday's contest as slight +101 road underdogs against a Maple Leafs team on a four-game losing streak (0-3-1).

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Luukkonen is in the starter's crease at Buffalo's morning skate.

The Sabres are currently alternating between Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and will likely turn to Lukkonen to tend the twine on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 26-year-old Luukkonen was stellar in his previous outing, saving 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. In his last 10 games (7-2-1), Luukkonen is sporting an impressive 2.41 GAA and .922 SV%. The Sabres enter Tuesday's contest as slight +101 road underdogs against a Maple Leafs team on a four-game losing streak (0-3-1).

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen