Jiri Kulich and Justin Danforth are in the Buffalo Sabres lineup Monday as they open the preseason against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m., and Seth Appert is coaching in place of Lindy Ruff.
That makes the opener more than a warmup. Buffalo is only allowed four preseason exhibitions under the new collective bargaining agreement, so every game carries extra weight for players trying to carve out space before the season starts. The Sabres will use four games in six days, a compressed window that gives prospects, depth players and returning forwards very little room for a slow start.
For Kulich, the night carries an added layer. He missed time last season after being diagnosed with a blood clot on Nov. 1, while Danforth’s season ended during the fourth game of the season after he broke his kneecap. Both are back in the mix now, and both are being asked to show they can hold up again after long absences.
Appert said he expects Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis to both see time in goal, which keeps the crease rotation straightforward for Buffalo’s first test. The defense picture is less settled, with Zach Metsa and Dennis Gilbert emerging as the frontrunners for the seventh defenseman role while Radim Mrtka begins his first professional season and Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2025.
Ruff is away because he is attending the memorial service for Brent Peterson, who died last Friday at age 68. That leaves Appert to handle the first preseason game, and it also shifts the focus onto the players who need these six days to make their case. The Sabres do not have many chances to sort out the roster, and Monday is the first one that counts.
