Eric Comrie was the first goaltender off the ice at the morning skate, meaning he is likely to start for the fourth time in five games. Comrie made a combined 86 saves in the first two games of the road trip, wins over Edmonton and Calgary.
Below is the full projected lineup based on the morning skate:
| October 25 at Seattle |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 74 Rasmus Asplund | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 77 JJ Peterka | 24 Dylan Cozens | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza |
| 22 Jack Quinn | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| | | |
| LD | RD | G |
| 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | 31 Eric Comrie |
| 25 Owen Power | 78 Jacob Bryson | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 20 Lawrence Pilut | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
| | | |
Pilut played 46 games in two seasons with the Sabres from 2018 to 2020 but departed to spend two years overseas in the KHL. Granato, who was an assistant coach with the Sabres for the 2019-20 season, remembers being sad to see the defenseman go.
Pilut returned to the organization on a one-year contract this summer.
"It was exciting when Kevyn informed me he was on his way back," Granato said.
Pilut tallied three assists in three preseason games before heading to Rochester, where he had two assists in three games.
"I'm excited to see him in the lineup," Granato said. "I thought he had a great preseason and I think he fits in very well with the style we play and within our locker room. The guys are excited to have him around."
Owen Power had dinner Monday with Kraken forward Matty Beniers, his friend and former teammates at the University of Michigan.
Power and Beniers were the top two picks, respectively, in the 2021 NHL Draft. Both opted to return for their sophomore seasons at Michigan, signed their entry-level contracts two days apart last spring, and now are off to promising starts to their rookie seasons.
Power leads NHL rookies with an average ice time of 22:14. Beniers is tied for third among rookies with five points (2+3).
"He's obviously an unbelievable player," Power said of Beniers. "Just good at both ends with the puck. But I think just how good of a shot and a goal scorer he is, you've got to be careful. It should be fun."
Video: PREGAME: Power
Rasmus Dahlin has scored in five straight games to open the season, the first defenseman to accomplish that feat in NHL history. He leads NHL defensemen in points (8) and goals (5), is tied for third in plus/minus (plus-8) and ranks 13th with an average ice time of 24:26.
Dahlin was named First Star of the Week by the NHL on Monday, prompting us to ask his teammates what they love about him. Check that out below.
Video: DAHLIN'S BEST ASSETS
Tuch, meanwhile, leads the Sabres with six goals - all of which have come during a four-game goal streak. He earned his first career hat trick in Calgary last Thursday.
Seattle is without goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who was placed on injured reserve this morning. Martin Jones - who is 2-2-1 with a .860 save percentage - is expected to start.
The Kraken are coming off a two-game road trip that began with an upset win over Colorado but ended with a blown lead in a 5-4 loss to Chicago.
Jaden Schwartz, Andre Burakovsky, and Jared McCann have led the way for the Kraken offensively with three goals and six points each.
