The Buffalo Sabres are looking to build momentum on Thursday night after their shutout win over the San Jose Sharks.
Per Paul Hamilton and Rachel Lenzi, Colten Ellis was in the starter's net on Thursday. This implies he is the likely starter for Buffalo's late-night matchup against the Anaheim Ducks.
At 2:30 p.m. EDT, Daily Faceoff also listed Ellis as the likely starter. Unless something changes and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ends up manning the crease, expect Ellis to start in Thursday night's contest.
Ellis has been the hotter of the two netminders, posting a .902 save percentage, a 2.28 GAA, a shutout, and a .500 quality starts percentage. Meanwhile, Luukkonen has clocked in an .866 save percentage, a 3.56 GAA, and a .125 quality starts percentage.
Starting Ellis would further make sense, as he is coming off his second career shutout. Against a team like the Ducks — who can get hot offensively at times — going with the hot hand is the better choice.
Daily Faceoff also reported that Hamilton shared the Sabres' lineup at their morning skate at 2:40 EDT. While the netminder could enjoy a good game, the lines and pairings will also play a major role.
Konsta Helenius is slated to sit this one out , so Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson, and Zach Benson are pegged to man the first line. Benson scored his first goal of the season in that win over San Jose.
Noah Ostlund is projected to center Josh Doan and Jack Quinn. Quinn leads all Sabres forwards with 11 points and six goals, and is tied with Owen Power for the team lead in points.
Ryan McLeod is slated to center Jason Zucker and Josh Norris. This will be Zucker's fourth appearance this season, and he is still working his way back in. He does have one goal in three games.
Sam Carrick returns as the projected fourth-line center, with Tyson Kozak and Beck Malenstyn at the wings. Should the projection hold, Carrick and Kozak will be making their fifth appearances in 2026-27.
Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin are projected to line up on the first pairing. Both are producing over a half-point per game, with seven and five, respectively.
Olen Zellweger makes his return to Anaheim on the projected second pairing with Owen Power. Zellweger could be the latest Sabres defenseman to hit the half-point-per-game mark if he has a goal or an assist against his former team. It has been a remarkable year so far, goals-wise, for Buffalo's blue line.
Dennis Gilbert is projected to line up alongside Louis Crevier. Crevier is tied for third on the team with 16 hits.
Buffalo is tied with the Red Wings for last place in the Atlantic Division, but a win and a Detroit loss will get them out of the Atlantic Division's basement. Buffalo is no stranger to looking up at their division rivals early in the season, having done the same in 2025-26 until they broke out.
Still, with a healthier and stronger Atlantic, Buffalo needs those wins to come earlier in 2026-27. Should Ellis get the start, the Sabres could be in for another good game defensively. Ditto for if the forward group enjoys a sound contest.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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