Ladies and Gentlemen, in a mere 9 days we will have real hockey back in Buffalo.
No more preseason, rookie scrimmages, real hockey with talented players and coaches. Not knocking on preseason, it’s been an effective (but not that productive) one for the Sabres, but I’m excited to see the boys truly be unleashed. Tonight’s preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs has some great line combinations already. There have been some great combinations that Dan Bylsma has created, one hopefully that will stick for the rest of the season is the line of Tyler Ennis, Evander Kane and Ryan O’Reilly. This line will be referred to now on as the TKO line, thanks to our good friend Ray who came up with the idea. The additions of Kane (who we have been waiting for since the trade was made way back in February) and O’Reilly have caused quite the excitement among Sabres fans. We all know that Ennis is a 20+ goal scorer and having some serious talent with him on his line makes it all that more exciting.
The line of Eichel will captivate most, if not more than the TKO line. With Eichel centering Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta, that line is just as dangerous as TKO. Moulson and Gionta are established veterans in this league and to give our next superstar Eichel a chance to play alongside them is incredible. Both Moulson and Gionta (and basically the whole Sabres roster) had a difficult time producing points last year, hopefully with the addition of the 2nd overall draft pick, things will click and lots of biscuits will be put in the basket.
Following them, Johan Larsson skated with wings Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart. Rodrigues played with Eichel in college and oh yeah, was ranked 2nd in the nation in points last year in the NCAA right behind Mr. Jack Eichel. We all know what Reinhart can do, even though he’s still a little green, multiple sources have noted how much he has matured since last year. His confidence is up which essentially is a game changer for him. Switching Reinhart to wing is something new and it seems to be looking. Multiple sources stated how he looked like a “natural wing” and Bylsma must believe so as he’s a wing tonight. Larsson spent roughly 40 games with the Sabres last year before he was sent to Rochester, where he had 40 points in 44 games. If he can make the transition easier than last year, the 3rd line has potential as well.
The 4th line, well, there is still talent there too. You’ve got Marcus Foligno, David Legwand, Nicolas Deslauriers, Jamie McGinn, Zemgus Girgensons and several others. How is Bylsma going to shape up this line? Only time will tell.
Going to the home opener? Should be a great one, because if you’re not excited about this season, you need to be.
