Buffalo Sabres News

Luukkonen missed the final two weeks of the season leading up to the Olympic Break due to a lower-body injury, but will return to the crease on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. The 26-year-old Finnish goalie was on an impressive run before his injury, helping his team collect at least a point in eight of 10 outings while posting a solid 2.42 GAA and .922 SV%. The Sabres enter the action on Wednesday as slight -103 road underdogs against a Devils team that entered the Olympic break on a three-game losing streak (0-3-0).

Dunne missed the final four weeks leading up to the Olympic break due to a mid-body injury, but he will be ready to suit up for the team on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. The 27-year-old Dunne is averaging 9:31 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) in 28 games this season.

Wahlberg was drafted 39th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and has yet to play an NHL game. The 20-year-old Swedish forward has 25 points (6G / 19A) in 47 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) this season.

Benson missed Buffalo's last few games heading into the Olympic Break due to an upper-body injury. He will remain out of the lineup when the team return to action on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. The 20-year-old Benson has had a productive season when healthy, scoring 26 points (7G / 19A) in 42 games. He had a career-high 30 points (11G / 19A) in his rookie season, playing 71 games in 2023-24.

Luukkonen missed the final two weeks of the season leading up to the Olympic Break due to a lower-body injury, but will suit up on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. It's unclear if he will be between the pipes or serving as the backup, but both Alex Lyon and Luukkonen should see a reasonable workload for the remainder of the season as the Sabres fight for a playoff spot.

Norris has not played since January 14th, but will return to the lineup on Wednesday when the Sabres return to action from the Olympic Break against the New Jersey Devils. The 26-year-old Norris has been productive when healthy, but has been limited to only 19 games, scoring 17 points (6G / 11A). It's unclear whether Norris' recent ailment is related to the shoulder injury that has kept him out of over 150 games in the past four seasons.

Luukkonen was originally supposed to represent Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics but had those dreams taken away from him after suffering a lower-body injury on January 27th and returned to practice in the starter's crease on Thursday. The 26-year-old is in his sixth NHL season and is posting a respectable 11-7-2 record, 2.73 GAA and .903 SV%.

Kesselring will slot right back into Buffalo's lineup after sitting out Tuesday's game in Tampa Bay. Zach Metsa will sit in his place.

Metsa will take a seat on Thursday as Michael Kesselring draws back into the lineup. Metsa has just one goal and one assist in 26 games this season.

Lyon has seen most of the action while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) has been sidelined, and will return to the crease on Thursday in Buffalo's final game before the Olympic break. The 33-year-old Lyon was stellar in his previous outing, saving 38 of 41 shots (.927 SV%) in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. He has just one loss in his last 12 outings (11-1-0), boasting an impressive 2.13 GAA and .929 SV% in that stretch. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -121 home favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team on a two-game losing streak (0-1-1).

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, and has not played since. The 20-year-old Benson scored a goal before his injury, giving him four points (2G / 2A) in his last six games.

Michael Kesslering will draw back into Buffalo's lineup on Thursday, resulting in Metsa being a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old Metsa, in his first NHL season, is averaging 9:43 time-on-ice and has two points (1G / 1A) in 26 games.

The 26-year-old Kesselring is averaging 14:21 time-on-ice and has one assist in 21 games this season. Zach Metsa will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Kesselring's return to the lineup.

Lyon has seen most of the action while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) has been sidelined, and will return to the crease on Thursday in Buffalo's final game before the Olympic break. The 33-year-old Lyon was stellar in his previous outing, saving 38 of 41 shots (.927 SV%) in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. He has just one loss in his last 12 outings (11-1-0), boasting an impressive 2.13 GAA and .929 SV% in that stretch. The Sabres enter Thursday's contest as -121 home favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team on a two-game losing streak (0-1-1).

Kesselring will take a seat on Tuesday in order to make room for the return of Jacob Bryson (upper-body). Kesselring is yet to score a goal and had just one assist in 23 games this season.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.