Storylines
1. Dunne, Dunne, duuune!
Sabres forward Josh Dunne has goals in back-to-back preseason games, along with a fighting major earned last week in Ottawa on Thursday.
“He’s a selfless player,” said Michael Leone, the acting head coach for the Sabres roster that has remained in North America. “There was no doubt he was gonna stick up for his teammate. I think it gave us a lot of life on the bench, too. We’re lucky to have him.”
Dunne, 25, was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Sabres at the start of free agency this past summer. The O’Fallon, Missouri native spent the previous four years in the Blue Jackets organization, playing in 14 NHL games while recording 65 points in the AHL (36+29).
2. Veteran presence
The Sabres have five players in Monday’s lineup with over 200 games of professional experience. On offense, Brett Murray, Mason Jobst, and Brendan Warren combine for 735 games across the NHL, AHL, and ECHL. Jobst scored a goal and added an assist in Buffalo’s game against Columbus Saturday, while Murray finished fourth in time on ice with 17:38.
On the back end, Ethan Prow is the elder statesman with over 400 games played, while Colton Poolman has skated in 213 AHL contests. Poolman was inked to a one-year, two-way deal in July after playing his first four professional seasons in the Calgary Flames organization. Prow has been with the Sabres organization since the 2021-22 season and appeared in four games for Buffalo that season. He has worn a letter for the Rochester Americans in each of his first three seasons with the team.
3. Seeing red
Detroit skates into KeyBank Center Monday evening with a 2-0-0 record in preseason play with back-to-back wins over Chicago last week. After travel issues forced their preseason game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night to be rescheduled, Detroit will play two games tonight, one at home in Detroit and one in Buffalo. The Red Wings will feature a split-squad roster, and it's expected that the majority of their NHL team will remain in Detroit.
