Sabres look ahead to Helenius’ NHL debut

Buffalo Sabres forward Konsta Helenius is expected to make his NHL debut Monday at the Carolina Hurricanes, and as coach Lindy Ruff hinted at, it won’t be in a fourth-line role – he practiced Sunday on a line with Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan before the team departed for Raleigh.

The Sabres recalled the 2024 first-round pick from Rochester on Thursday. An AHL All-Star, Helenius has totaled 30 points (9+21) in 34 games in his second year with Amerks. With that scoring touch, plus strong defense and a bit of a nasty edge, the team sees a middle-of-the-lineup contributor.

“[Lindy] just said that I’ve been playing well down there, and if I get the chance, play my own game,” Helenius said.

“Another young prospect that we think really highly of, and he should be excited to get into the lineup,” Ruff added. “And we’ve seen him in exhibition, where he’s played pretty well.”

To that point, Helenius got an extended opportunity in the preseason, collecting a goal and two primary assists in four games. There, plus in the Prospects Challenge, Calder Cup Playoffs and other settings, he’s been one of the most energetic and noticeable guys on the ice.

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The 19-year-old is adept on the forecheck and has shown a knack for getting under opponents’ skin. Joining the likes of Doan and Zach Benson in Buffalo's lineup, Helenius should fit right in.

“He’s got some bite to his game. He’s not your prototypical ‘talented’ guy,” Ruff said. “He gets into people, and he’s got a little physicality to him at the same time. I haven’t seen him play a lot in Rochester this year, but just had good reports out of there where he’s played well.”

On Saturday, projecting Helenius’ fit in the lineup, Ruff referenced the early careers of other first-round picks, forwards Ostlund and Isak Rosen. Both guys debuted primarily as fourth liners and couldn’t really showcase their offensive skills. This season, they’ve both played higher in the lineup and produced; Ostlund has seven goals in 35 games, Rosen (currently with the Amerks) has three in 13.

With Josh Norris (upper body) out week to week, Helenius will now get the chance to follow Ostlund’s and Rosen’s lead and contribute to the Sabres' playoff push.

Here’s more from Sunday’s practice.

Sunday’s practice lines

Norris was absent, as was forward Jordan Greenway, whose load management plan had him doing off-ice work before the Monday matinee.

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Lyon returns

Goaltender Alex Lyon participated fully in practice, his first on-ice session since sustaining a lower-body injury Dec. 29 at St. Louis. He’ll come off injured reserve and play at some point this week, Ruff said.

The veteran was on a roll before the injury, winning seven straight games with a .919 save percentage. In his absence, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have combined for a .900 save percentage, ninth best in the league since Dec. 30 – a testament to their play, as well as the Sabres’ improved defense of late.

“Not giving up odd-man rushes, playing tight in the D-zone, not being careless – it all very greatly impacts the goalie’s life, so I have to give a lot of credit to the team,” Lyon said.

“… Obviously, super impressed, being able to watch for the last 10 days or whatever from the top and seeing how well we’ve been playing. Seeing how well UPL’s been playing, Colten’s been playing. Super happy for those guys.”

Matinee metrics

Ruff felt – and the skating data supported – that the Sabres weren’t at their quickest Saturday afternoon versus Minnesota. With two of the next four games being matinees, the coach structured Sunday’s practice to help fix that.

“We spent some time today just trying to address – we’ve got a game tomorrow that’s early, we’ve got the game on [Long Island] coming up that’s early – what can we do differently that can have these guys ready for those two early afternoon games?,” Ruff said.

Up next

Monday’s puck drop between the Sabres and Hurricanes is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.