Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres vs Red Wings

Mattias Samuelsson will make his season debut when the Sabres host the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center on Monday afternoon.
Samuelsson, 21, made his NHL debut and played 12 games for the Sabres last season. He has 15 points (2+13) in 20 games this season with Rochester.
Coverage on MSG begins at 12:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 1. The radio broadcast will be carried on The Best 1520 AM.
Here are five things to know ahead of the game.

1. The lineup

The Sabres are down a pair of defensemen in Jacob Bryson, who is expected to miss at least the next two games with an upper-body injury, and Colin Miller, who was placed in injured reserve Monday to deal with what coach Don Granato referred to as a nagging injury.
Their absences clear room for Samuelsson to enter the lineup along with Will Butcher, who was a healthy scratch the past two games.
Zemgus Girgensons (lower body) will also miss a second straight game.
Peyton Krebs will return from a four-game absence after clearing the NHL's COVID-19 protocols. He is expected to center a line with Vinnie Hinostroza and Kyle Okposo.
Read more about Krebs' return in Sunday's practice report.

2. The goalies

Granato did not announce his starter. Aaron Dell has started two straight games and stopped 64 of 69 shots (.928). Michael Houser has served as the backup in both contests.
Granato did not rule out the possibility of Monday's starter also starting Tuesday night in Ottawa.
"I think you read it after the first game," Granato said Sunday. "I think you see the workload and how the guy feels if you're going to go the same guy back-to-back."

3. Samuelsson's debut

Samuelsson was considered a candidate to make the NHL roster out of training camp but had the start of his season delayed due to an injury he sustained during the Prospects Challenge.
"He's intense about his development," Granato said. "He's very focused and driven on a development mindset. He was good in the rookie tournament - only one game, but he was pretty dominant in that one game. And he's been really good down in Rochester, so we're excited to see him."

4. Let it snow

Buffalo woke up to roughly a foot of snowfall (and counting) on Monday. Granato confirmed there were no commute-based absences among members of the team.
"The snow is a sense of adventure, that's for sure," Granato said. "Put it in four-wheel and hope you don't have to shovel was my way to the rink. … We're all in hockey. It's actually nice to see this stuff."

5. Scouting the Red Wings

Detroit handed Buffalo a 4-0 loss at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday. Tyler Bertuzzi tallied a goal and two assists while Alex Nedeljkovic made 22 saves for the shutout.
"We just played the game in front of Detroit," Granato said. "Even though we had guys driving to push depth behind them, and we tried to make plays in front of them never having them turn back and it was just easy for them, really easy for them.
"We have to own it, we were not good. We have that same team tomorrow, so we have to resolve that."