Mittelstadt set to make NHL debut vs. Red Wings

Casey Mittelstadt says he's envisioned this day his entire life. The 19-year-old forward began his whirlwind week when he flew to Buffalo on Monday, and then signed his entry-level contract with the Sabres on Tuesday. The next day, he skated in his first NHL practice.
Now, only hours separate Mittelstadt - barely a year removed from playing high school hockey in Minnesota - from making his NHL debut. There should be plenty of adjectives to describe how he's feeling, but nervous doesn't seem to be one of them.

"It might be a bit of a long day to get to the game but for me, I'm not too nervous yet," Mittelstadt said. "I might be a little more nervous when it gets here but it should be exciting."

Mittelstadt will center a line with Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart when the Sabres host the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center on Thursday night. Reinhart said Wednesday that his advice to Mittelstadt was to establish confidence early. Rodrigues echoed that sentiment.
"I already told him, first few shifts just have a shot mentality," Rodrigues said. "Once you kind of get those first shots under your belt, you seem to loosen up a little bit, calm down a little bit. I'm looking forward to playing with him."
Rodrigues played four years at Boston University and thus knows the challenge of jumping from the NCAA to the NHL as well as anyone. In two days of practice, he said Mittelstadt has already displayed the kind of hockey sense that will aid in that adjustment.
Phil Housley said the biggest challenge for Mittelstadt may be the fact that he hasn't played in a game since the University of Minnesota's season ended on March 5.
"To put things in perspective, again, there's no pressure on him," Housley said. "We just want him to be a part of our group and just play his game and the simplicity of it and not stay out, manage his shift lengths and just get comfortable."

Mittelstadt will be given power-play duties right away, skating on a unit with Rodrigues, Jason Pominville, Nicholas Baptiste and Marco Scandella. Reinhart, Jack Eichel, Kyle Okposo, Ryan O'Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen will comprise the other unit.
Robin Lehner will start in net for the Sabres. Linus Ullmark took shots prior to the team's morning skate but remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Lehner is 4-2-1 with a .952 save percentage against the Red Wings since joining the Sabres for the 2015-16 season. The Sabres are 5-1-1 against the Red Wings since the beginning of last season.
Coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m. with the GMC Game Night Pregame Show, or you can listen live on WGR 550. Puck drop is scheduled for 7.

Projected lineup

28 Zemgus Girgensons - 15 Jack Eichel - 29 Jason Pominville
20 Scott Wilson - 90 Ryan O'Reilly - 21 Kyle Okposo
71 Evan Rodrigues - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 23 Sam Reinhart
17 Jordan Nolan - 22 Johan Larsson - 13 Nicholas Baptiste
45 Brendan Guhle - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
6 Marco Scandella - 8 Casey Nelson
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 41 Justin Falk
40 Robin Lehner
31 Chad Johnson