Entering the 2013-14 season, the Buffalo Sabres already know what to expect from veterans Ryan Miller (strong goaltending), Thomas Vanek (timely scoring) and Steve Ott (agitating opponents).

But when it comes to finding the right spot for young up-and-coming prospects, coach Ron Rolston is tinkering with his lineup.

That will continue to be the case Saturday night when the Sabres take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at First Niagara Center (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-US, CBC).

Top scorer Zach Parise is just one of the many familiar faces who will make their preseason debut for the Minnesota Wild Saturday night against the Winnipeg Jets. Parise will see his first preseason action at Xcel Energy Center, along with other big-name players like Ryan Suter, captain Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville and Jonas Brodin.

Parise and Suter were the centerpiece of the team's off-season makeover in 2012, as Minnesota signed the pair to 13-year contracts worth $98 million each. Pominville was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at last season's Trade Deadline and was immediately placed on the team's top line alongside Parise and Koivu. Saturday night against Winnipeg will be the trio's first opportunity to recapture some of the chemistry they found late last season.

Suter and Brodin, who was one of the League's best rookies in 2012-13, made up the team's top defensive pairing all of last season. So they are expected to shake off some of the rust as well.

With all these high-profile additions to the lineup, Wild coach Mike Yeo said that forwards Matt Cooke, Kyle Brodziak and Torrey Mitchell will get the night off.

With coach Michel Therrien working towards establishing his roster for opening night, the Montreal Canadiens will see three of their top veterans in the lineup for the first time this preseason. Forwards Tomas Plekanec and Rene Bourque will see their first preseason action Saturday night, along with defenseman Andrei Markov.

The trio was held out of Montreal's first three preseason contests, in which the team posted a 1-1-1 record. The Canadiens host Carolina Saturday night at the Bell Centre just one night after defeating the Hurricanes 6-0 in a one-sided match played at the Pepsi Colisee in Quebec City.

Markov ranked fourth in scoring among defensemen last season, posting 30 points in 48 games. His eight power play goals also led all NHL defensemen. Bourque and Plekanec were important pieces on Montreal's top two lines in 2012-13, with Plekanec finishing third on the team with 33 points in 47 games and Bourque posting 13 points in 27 games.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis McElhinney didn't practice Friday due to a lower-body injury and reportedly might not be ready for opening night.

The injury to McElhinney, slated to back up starter Sergei Bobrovsky, "might be a week to two weeks, is what we’re hoping," coach Todd Richards told the Columbus Dispatch.

First Gregory Campbell returned to action for the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, the Bruins welcome back another key player.

Coach Claude Julien confirmed to reporters Friday that Patrice Bergeron will make his preseason debut after recovering from injuries that included a broken rib, torn rib cartilage, a collapsed lung and a separated shoulder.

Sprains to his left MCL and ankle suffered in Thursday's practice will sideline Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves 2-4 weeks, general manager Ken Holland said on Friday.

Eaves joined forward Daniel Alfredsson (groin), defenseman Brendan Smith (groin), forward Johan Franzen (hip flexor), center Darren Helm (groin, lower back) and defenseman Jakub Kindl (hip flexor) on the Red Wings' injured list.

The Winnipeg Jets on Friday reassigned 10 players to St. John's of the American Hockey League and also released defenseman Ian White from his professional tryout.

Players sent to St. John's were Austen Brassard , Blair Riley, Brenden Kichton, Cody Sol, J.C. Lipon, Jason Jaffray, John Albert, Jussi Olkinuora, Kael Mouillierat and Will O'Neill.

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced Friday that right wing Teddy Purcell is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will miss the team's preseason game Friday against the St. Louis Blues.

Brett Connolly, who scored twice Thursday against the Nashville Predators, will replace Purcell in the lineup and play on a line with Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn.

Purcell is not expected to miss any significant time.

"He's not feeling well," coach Jon Cooper said. "He showed up [Friday] and I don't know if it was respiratory or I have no idea, so maybe if it was a regular-season game who knows, maybe he would play. So he went to go get checked out at the [doctor] and even before he comes back [from the doctor], I just wanted to put somebody else in."

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier missed practice Friday with knee irritation, which according to coach Randy Carlyle was caused by his new pads.

Bernier revealed the injury, one that first occurred at the team's morning skate, after the Maple Leafs' 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, one that he left after the first period.

Bernier is expected back Saturday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning assigned forward Adam Erne to the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Friday. The move trimmed the team’s training camp roster to 58.

Erne was picked by the Lightning in the second round (No. 33) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He scored two goals and added another in the shootout in Tampa Bay’s 4-3 defeat of the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday in his first NHL preseason game.