Lyon, Kulich exit Sabres' preseason game in Detroit

DETROIT – The Buffalo Sabres played their third of four preseason exhibitions Thursday at Little Caesars Arena, losing 3-2 in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings.

After losing Mattias Samuelsson (lower body) and Olen Zellweger (concussion protocol) on Tuesday, this game saw early exits from goaltender Alex Lyon and forward Jiri Kulich. Fortunately, neither of Thursday’s injuries appears to be serious.

With two minutes remaining in the first period, Lyon dove out of the crease to glove a loose puck, got up and moved his arm a bit, then skated off and headed down the tunnel. He has an upper-body injury, but coach Lindy Ruff told Sabres.com he’s “optimistic it’s not too bad.”

Colten Ellis entered for Lyon – he’s made a relief appearance in all three exhibitions – and made 16 saves on 18 shots. He didn’t have much chance on either goal against: a great redirection by Sheldon Dries in the third, then a power-play one-timer by Alex DeBrincat to end it in overtime.

Kulich left the bench midway through the second period for precautionary reasons. He wanted to stay in the game; Ruff and the coaching staff “didn’t want to take any chances.”

A couple shifts before his night ended, Kulich, on a line with Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius, gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead on a great three-zone play. Defenseman Ryan Johnson blocked a point shot, then Ostlund slid a pass into the neutral zone that sprung Kulich and Helenius on a 2-on-1 rush. Kulich held onto it and fired a shot that just barely leaked through Red Wings goalie Daniil Tarasov, scoring his first goal in a game since last Oct. 24.

It's unclear whether this changes the plan for Kulich to play all four preseason games after missing most of last season with the blood clot. But as long as he’s not dealing with anything serious, it’s great to see the 22-year-old back on the scoresheet.

• Exclusive look at Kulich’s recovery from blood clot

“We knew going into preseason that it was important to get him time, get him to feel the puck. I thought a great shot,” Ruff said of the goal. “He’s got a shot that can power through goaltenders.”

Stay tuned to Sabres.com for updates on Lyon, Kulich, Samuelsson and Zellweger. For now, here are some more notes from Thursday in Detroit.

Kuntar getting involved

Forward Trevor Kuntar had his fingerprints on a few areas of the game. First, the former third-round pick opened the scoring 10 minutes in, driving to the net front and snapping home a deflected Jake Richard pass.

To start the third period, Kuntar absorbed a big (and penalized) hit from Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider. Gavin McCarthy jumped in to defend his fellow Buffalo native and childhood friend, then Kuntar dropped the gloves with Alex DeBrincat in the resulting scrum. Both fighters got a couple punches in.

“I mean, I wasn’t too happy about that hit, so I was gonna do something anyways,” Kuntar said. “And I’m really proud of Gav going in there and sticking out for me like that. I’m happy to get into a fight, I don’t really care, it was fun, so it was good.”

Asked Thursday morning about Kuntar, who scored 21 goals for the Amerks last season and made a one-game NHL debut in December, Ruff had high praise:

“I think he knows, ‘If I’m able to make it, I have to be one of the hardest guys out there, I have to be one of the hardest guys in practice.’ He’s got a tremendous attitude, he’s got a smile on his face, and he’s a guy you look at when you’re coaching that, if you compete like that, you’ll find a way. There will be a chance for you eventually to be a difference maker.”

One night of NHL action – a win in Vancouver at the start of Buffalo’s 2025-26 turnaround – only made Kuntar hungrier for a career at the top level. And when the Sabres need reinforcements at forward this season, he’ll likely be one of the first guys to get a look.

“People dream of playing in the NHL, but I dream of playing in the NHL for the Sabres,” Kuntar said. “To wear that jersey and represent the city was something I’ll never forget, and hopefully I get to keep doing it a lot in the future.”

Danforth’s preseason

As a veteran of 187 NHL games, forward Justin Danforth has reached his limit of two preseason games. The 33-year-old, who missed all but four games last season after breaking his kneecap, skated 17:40 on Thursday with five shot attempts (two on goal), two hits and five faceoff wins in nine tries.

“I think he’s in the same category as Jiri. Just needs time,” Ruff said. “I thought the effort was real good. Did a lot of good things around the puck. I thought he missed the net on a couple of good opportunities offensively, but when it came to competing, he gave it all he got.”

Barring injuries to the forward group, the Sabres will likely have to send either Danforth or Tyson Kozak to Rochester to start the season. Either would need to pass through waivers.

Up next

The preseason finale is Saturday versus Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. at KeyBank Center, broadcast on MSG.

Come to the arena early for Sabretooth’s Preseason Bash, which will feature mascot games, photo opportunities and fun for the whole family.