Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs. Hurricanes

Don Granato explained how the Sabres had entered a new phase of training camp on Monday, with a whittled down roster more closely resembling what the team will roll with come October 13.
The Sabres took the ice for practice with 25 skaters (15 forwards and 10 defensemen), not including defenseman Casey Fitzgerald, who is day to day. Granato explained that the lines and pairs had been constructed with the regular season in mind.
"These combinations we have here are in hopes that we don't want to tweak things around much at this point," he said. "We know we can, but we'd like to see the groups that were out here get the next few days of practice and games together for the most part."
The group gets its first look tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Sabres' final home game of the preseason. Tickets are available here.
The game will air on MSG with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30. The puck drops at 7.
Here are five things to know.

Here's how the group lined up this morning:
| October 4 vs. Carolina | | --- | | LW | C | RW | | 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza | | 22 Jack Quinn | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 89 Alex Tuch | | 19 Peyton Krebs | 24 Dylan Cozens | 77 JJ Peterka | | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 74 Rasmus Asplund | 21 Kyle Okposo | | LD | RD | G | | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 41 Craig Anderson | | 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | | 78 Jacob Bryson | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | |
Craig Anderson will start in goal, Granato announced. Whether or not he plays the full game has yet to be determined.
Anderson has made one start this preseason, stopping eight of nine shots in 30:02 against Philadelphia last Tuesday.
"It's all about getting ready so however many minutes guys need, we'll let him do that," Granato said.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will back up.
Here's how the Sabres' power-play units were constructed during the morning skate:
Unit 1:
Tuch
Thompson - Skinner - Mittelstadt
Dahlin
Unit 2:
Peterka
Quinn - Cozens - Krebs
Power
Peterka was a standout on offense during a three-goal preseason in 2021. He spent the ensuing year developing his all-around game in Rochester, which he says has contributed to feeling more comfortable at his second NHL training camp.
"I know the guys now way better than I did a year," Peterka said. "And also, playing on the small surface helped me a lot. So, I think I'm way more prepared than last season."
The 20-year-old will have a chance show his comfort level against the Hurricanes, playing on a line with a pair of forwards who were full-time in the NHL last season in Cozens and Krebs and manning the net-front on the second power-play unit.
His objective?
"I think just having fun," he said. "I mean, we're all like young guys who love the game, so I think we love what we do, and just having fun is the main thing here."
Carolina is playing its fifth and final game of the preseason and will ice a lineup comprising mostly of young players and veterans competing for roster spots.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi headlines the Hurricanes roster at forward after tallying 29 points (12+17) in 61 games as a 21-year-old last season. Jack Drury, a 2018 second-round pick and the nephew of former Sabres captain Chris Drury, is also slated to dress up front.
Find the full Carolina roster in the tweet below.
Tweet from @WaltRuff: The #Canes roster for Tuesday���s preseason finale in Buffalo, below.A very important evening for those competing for a roster spot. pic.twitter.com/QFoSZzNaze