Dahlin to make NHL debut as Sabres open season vs. Boston

Rasmus Dahlin took one look at the blue, gold and white t-shirts draped over the seats at KeyBank Center and knew this wasn't the preseason anymore.
Dahlin will make his NHL debut when the Buffalo Sabres host the Boston Bruins in their season opener on Thursday night. The defenseman will be one of seven players making their Sabres debuts, along with Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, Tage Thompson, Vladimir Sobotka and Carter Hutton.
"I'm super excited, I can't wait to get started," Dahlin said. "… Seeing all the t-shirts out there, I don't know what to expect."

Dahlin will skate on a defensive pair alongside Jake McCabe, with whom he spent most of the preseason. He'll play on the right - his off side - as he did in the team's preseason finale against the New York Islanders last Friday.
At 18 years, 175 days, Dahlin will become the second-youngest player ever to appear in a game with the Sabres behind fellow No. 1 pick Pierre Turgeon. He's one of three players in the lineup under the age of 21, along with 19-year-old Casey Mittelstadt and 20-year-old Tage Thompson.
"I'm sure all the young guys will have a little bit of anxiety," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "I mean, it's their first game, there are nerves. We talked about it yesterday, just trying to get settled in those first two or three shifts, taking a deep breath and then you're just playing hockey."

Housley emphasized the development of young players as a key focus for this season. It began with development camp and continued through the Prospects Challenge and preseason, and it will be taken to another level on Thursday.
"Our guys, especially the young core group, they've got to have a better December than October," he said. "They have to have a better February than December. And we have to develop those guys. They're very talented guys, we understand that, but they're also going to make mistakes.
"I mean, this is the best league in the world and they're playing against the best players in the world. We understand that, but as long as we see good development in a good direction - and hopefully we have good results, which will build confidence - that's going to be important."
Here are more notes on tonight's game.

Projected lineup

Sheary will be in the lineup for the first time as a Sabre, having sat out of exhibition play with an upper-body injury. He'll skate on a line with fellow newcomers Berglund and Thompson.
"He looks great," Housley said. "The first day, Sunday, when he was on the ice, he looked a little rusty. He was skating on his own. But each and every day he got better. I'm not worried about Conor Sheary. I know what he brings to the table. He's a fierce competitor and he'll be ready to go tonight."
Carter Hutton will start in net for Buffalo. Zach Bogosian (lower body), Remi Elie and Matt Tennyson are expected to be scratched.
Here's the projected lineup in its entirety:
53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
43 Conor Sheary - 10 Patrik Berglund - 72 Tage Thompson
17 Vladimir Sobotka - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 21 Kyle Okposo
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
19 Jake McCabe - 26 Rasmus Dahlin
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark

Home sweet home

The Sabres will open the season with four games on home ice for the first time in franchise history. Following their matchup with the Bruins, they host the Rangers on Saturday, the Golden Knights on Monday and the Avalanche next Thursday.
Jack Eichel - appearing in his first game as captain - emphasized the importance of a strong start.
"The last few years we haven't been able to get the opening victory and just overall, I don't think we've had great starts the last few years," he said. "I think it's big for us to come out of the gates with some desperation and just try and get ourselves off on the right foot. It starts tonight. We want to play a smart, hard first period and build from there."

Scouting the Bruins

Boston's season started on the wrong foot Wednesday, with a 7-0 loss on the road against the defending champion Washington Capitals. Tuukka Rask was pulled after allowing five goals on 19 shots, forcing tonight's starter, Jaroslav Halak, to enter the game midway through the second period.
"We understand and we have to respect where they're coming from," Housley said. "But I mean, at the same time, we can control what we can control. I think we're making it about us. We understand where they're going to be, and they're going to be desperate and they're going to have a response. But we can control what we can control, and we're going to try and play our game."

How to watch

Tonight's game can be seen live on MSG-B, with pregame coverage set for 6:30 p.m., or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7.