Sabres’ Ryan McLeod, Louis Crevier healthy scratches Friday against Columbus

Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan McLeod and defenseman Louis Crevier will sit out Friday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets as healthy scratches, according to a report by The Athletic‘s Matthew Fairburn.

McLeod and Crevier were both in the lineup for the Sabres in their 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, although neither played significant minutes. McLeod ranked 8th among Sabres forwards with 13:16 of ice time, while Crevier finished the game with just 8:05 — the lowest of any defenseman on either team.

With their loss to the Senators, the Sabres fell to 7-5-3 with 17 points in 15 games to start the 2026-27 regular season. Now, it appears Jiri Kulich and Conor Timmins will draw in for McLeod and Crevier in Friday’s game against Columbus at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

McLeod, 27, has just one goal and three points through 15 games with the Sabres this season. The 6’3″ center is coming off back-to-back 50-point seasons after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in 2024 in exchange for Matt Savoie; however, his average ice time is down to 14:56 this season, representing a decrease of more than two minutes from last year.

The Oilers originally selected McLeod in the second round (No. 40 overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The Mississauga, Ont. product began his career with parts of four seasons in Edmonton, most notably helping the club reach the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, before being traded to Buffalo. He’s currently under contract with the Sabres through 2029 at a $5 million annual cap hit.

Crevier, 25, has one assist in 15 games with the 2026-27 Sabres. Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks over the summer as part of the Bowen Byram trade, Crevier signed a four-year, $4 million AAV extension with the Sabres in October, but he has only logged 12:52 per night across the early stages of his Sabres tenure — a far cry from the 17:08 he averaged over 78 games with the Blackhawks last season.

A seventh-round pick (No. 188 overall) of the Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Draft, Crevier appeared in 134 games over parts of three seasons in Chicago before being sent to Buffalo in a package with the No. 4 and 45 picks in 2026 in exchange for Byram and Jordan Greenway.

The Sabres and Blue Jackets are slated to hit the ice in Buffalo on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.