The Buffalo Sabres are back at KeyBank Center on Sunday afternoon, and Colten Ellis had the starter’s net at practice as they prepared to face the Vegas Golden Knights. The puck drops at 3:30 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 3 p.m. on MSG in the Sabres broadcast market and streaming available on DAZN.
Buffalo arrives with some momentum after a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, when Josh Norris scored twice and Owen Power matched his career high with three assists. That result kept the Sabres in the middle of a four-game homestand, and it also made Sunday’s matchup a quick test of whether they can hold their form against a team that has handled tight games well on the road.
The Golden Knights come in at 2-0-1 on their current road trip, with all three games decided by one goal, and they sit in second place in the Pacific Division. That makes them a difficult follow-up opponent for Buffalo, especially with the Sabres having kept the same lines and pairs from the Columbus win at Saturday’s practice. The setup also pointed to a second straight healthy scratch for Ryan McLeod and Louis Crevier, even after a convincing result on Friday.
Ellis is the clearest question in the build-up. He had the starter’s net at practice and owns a.909 save percentage in his last three starts, which is enough to suggest he is likely to get the nod without making it official. In a game like this, that distinction matters: practice can show the direction, but the lineup is not final until the puck drops.
Vegas brings more than structure. Trevor Connelly has goals in three straight games, is tied for the rookie scoring lead with 12 points, and has seven goals, second only to Roman Kantserov. He also hit 23.73 mph in a win over Ottawa on Oct. 27 and has spent most of his minutes on the third line alongside Tomas Hertl, giving the Golden Knights another layer behind the top six of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Mitch Marner.
That is why Sunday feels less like a routine home date than a direct read on where Buffalo stands after Friday’s win. The Sabres have the scoreboard from Columbus, but the next one comes against a team that has turned nearly every stop on this trip into a one-goal game. If Ellis gets the start, the afternoon becomes about whether Buffalo can carry its same lines, the same pairs and the same confidence through a tighter test.
