The Sabres had initially been planning to split goaltending duties during their early preseason games like they did Tuesday in Columbus, when Aaron Dell played the first 30 minutes and Dustin Tokarski finished the shootout victory over the Blue Jackets.
The Sabres' big prospect names lived up to their billing Friday in LECOM Harborcenter.
But it's clear they want to get as much information on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and give the top prospect as much of a chance to make the club as possible. So goalie coach Mike Bales asked Granato to call an audible on the plan. Luukkonen, who looked strong in his one appearance at the Prospects Challenge, will thus play the entire game tonight in Detroit against the Red Wings.
"Mike asked me if that was available, if I felt comfortable with doing that and making that change, and I'm fine with that," Granato said today of going the route with Luukkonen. "I think he's had enough hard practice time that he might be ready for the full game. And the other guys are a little bit older guys, a 'lot bit' older for Craig (Anderson). The other thought pattern is build them up incrementally to that point. They're more comfortable with that. UPL is more hungry for just one one full one so we'll accommodate that."
The Sabres are expected to go with Anderson and Tokarski in goal in Friday's preseason home opener against Pittsburgh.
"I think he's done very well so far in camp," veteran defenseman Mark Pysyk said of Luukkonen. "He's exciting in practice. He's big, moves well. I think he's been a great goalie so far."
Whether or not the game is tied, Luukkonen is expected to get some shootout work in tonight as well, as the Red Wings have taken the home team option in this preseason and asked for a practice shootout after the game. Granato said the Sabres will not be doing those following their two home games.
On the air: Faceoff is at 7:30 and the game will be streamed on Sabres.com in the Western New York market using the Red Wings' feed. It will also be on WGR Radio with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on site in Detroit for the radio call.
Lines: Here's a look at how the Sabres were set up at the morning skate today in KeyBank Center before heading to the Motor City.
Based on morning skate, #Sabres lines for Detroit look like this:Asplund-Cozens-ThompsonPeterka-Ruotsalainen-WeissbachMurray-Malone-QuinnWarren-Eakin-Hayden------Fitz-DavidsonHagg-PysykBryson-Butcher------Goalies are UPL and Robson
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) September 30, 2021
Butcher out top on power play practice with a forward group of Cozens, Thompson, Routsalainen and Asplund. Bryson running the other group with Murray in front and Peterka, Quinn and Weissbach. #Sabres
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) September 30, 2021
Young guns going back again: The Sabres will have Dylan Cozens, J-J Peterka and Jack Quinn all back on the ice tonight but playing on separate lines after they were a trio in Columbus. Linus Weissbach, who had a three-point game Tuesday, will also play again tonight.
Weissbach piled up three points in the third period, including the tying goal with 54 seconds left. In a 4-1 hole through 42 minutes, the Sabres pulled out a 5-4 shootout victory at Nationwide Arena as Jack Quinn's filthy deke accounted for the only goal of the skills competition.
"Game one is about getting more information. ... There's an execution level in practice, and then you watch a game and there's no execution level," Granato said. "Practice is kind of where you can see what their potential is more and see what they're capable of. But then the actual comes out in the game.
"You're constantly gauging in the coaching side, when is what we are working on applicable to the game? When can they execute that in a game? And it's more games, it takes some more games. So when I watched the other night, I thought Dylan didn't look like himself. And he probably needs more games, and he'll get to that. And so I threw him back in for that reason."
There are 11 players, including seven forwards, who skated in Columbus playing again tonight.
Unlike most Sabres on the roster late last season, the coaching change wasn’t transformative for Skinner.
Earning their Wings: Detroit (1-0) will be playing its preseason home opener after posting a 4-3 shootout win Wednesday in Chicago. The Red Wings will go with a young lineup tonight that will not include captain Dylan Larkin and fellow all-star Tyler Bertuzzi. Two recent first-round picks, defenseman Moritz Seider (No. 6, 2019) and winger Lucas Raymond (No. 4, 2020), will both be in the lineup. Seider was selected one pick in front of Cozens while Raymond was taken from Rasmus Dahlin's Frolunda club and was Detroit's highest pick since 1990.
Next: Thursday's game is the opener of a back-to-back as the Sabres play their first preseason home game Friday in KeyBank Center against Pittsburgh. In addition to Anderson, notable names expected to make their preseason debuts are Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt, Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson and Henri Jokiharju.
