Sabres at Blue Jackets | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

With two official practices and an intrasquad scrimmage under their belt, the Buffalo Sabres are now taking training camp on the road.

On Monday, the Sabres open their six-game preseason schedule against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Head coach Lindy Ruff, asked at the beginning of training camp about his vision for the 2025-26 team as he enters his second season back in Buffalo, offered a concise response:

“Hard to play against and play well defensively.”

Through offseason additions – on and off the ice – and organization-wide messaging, the Sabres feel they’ve made significant progress in those areas. Now, with the regular season less than three weeks away, Buffalo looks to begin showcasing its new look and setting the tone for the 82-plus games ahead.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the preseason opener.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG

Radio: WGR 550

How to watch all 2025 preseason games.

Sabres roster (updated 11:00 a.m.)

Who’s in net?

Ruff shared after the morning skate that Georgiev will play the first two periods in goal, and Levi will play the third.

As part of the plan for each goaltender to get two preseason periods, Ruff also plans to play Levi in Tuesday's third period at home versus Columbus.

The new guys

This offseason, the Sabres added the versatile Kesselring to their blue line. They acquired the 23-year-old Doan, a tenacious forechecker with strong offensive potential, and they signed the 32-year-old Danforth to be a reliable, bottom-six forward. Geertsen brings size and snarl to the lineup. Mrtka, drafted ninth overall, has instantly become one of the organization’s most intriguing prospects. Georgiev, meanwhile, has added depth and competition in net.

On Monday, these guys and others will see their first game action in blue and gold.

• Timeline of Sabres’ offseason moves

“Unbelievable – great additions,” captain Rasmus Dahlin said of his new teammates. “Everyone can play with the puck. Everybody is tall, tough to play against, hard. We’ve got the depth. We’ve got the skill. We want to be a good defending team this year. There are some great guys, too. They fit right into our locker room. I’m very pumped.”

Added Alex Tuch: “The new guys we brought in, I think, are gonna mesh well with us and fit into our style of play really well and help us win games.”

Keeping up with camp

In case you missed it, here are some of the top storylines from the first few days of training camp.

• Kevyn Adams discusses Alex Tuch’s contract negotiations
• Tuch on extension talks: ‘I would love to be here long term’
• Why the now-healthy Josh Norris is drawing rave reviews to start camp
• Takeaways from Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage

Pregame sound