Latest Sabres Injury Update Ahead of Season Opener vs. Blue Jackets
The Buffalo Sabres open their regular season tonight on Thursday, Oct. 1, when they travel to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets. After hitting the 50‑win mark and capturing the Atlantic Division for the first time in 20 years last season, the team enters 2026–27 looking to build on that success and push even further.
The preseason wasn’t without challenges, as several key players dealt with injuries. Olen Zellweger, Mattias Samuelsson, Alex Lyon, Conor Timmins, Jiri Kulich, and Ukko‑Pekka Luukkonen all missed time at various points. Fortunately for Buffalo, only Timmins begins the year on injured reserve. The rest of the group is either fully cleared or close to returning, giving the Sabres a mostly healthy roster heading into opening night.
Latest Injury News
Here are the latest key injury updates from Sabres practice on Wednesday and morning skate on Thursday:
Mattias Samuelsson returned to the ice after suffering a lower‑body injury last Tuesday. According to head coach Lindy Ruff, Samuelsson he was “hopefully” going be an option for Thursday’s season opener, but the team wanted to see how his injury responded during the flight to Columbus before making a final decision.
Following Thursday's skate, it was confirmed from head coach Lindy Ruff to the media that Samuelsson will be able to play in the opening game and skated alongside Rasmus Dahlin on the top defence pair.
Newly acquired defenseman Olen Zellweger continues to make progress while remaining in concussion protocol. He has been ruled out for the opener and has been placed on injured reserve. Dennis Gilbert has been recalled from Rochester as a result on Thursday morning. Ruff noted that Zellweger didn’t pass his latest round of testing, so he’ll continue skating for a few days before being retested.
Ukko‑Pekka Luukkonen, who exited the preseason finale after tweaking his lower body, was held out for precautionary reasons. Ruff confirmed he is set to be between the pipes in the season opener vs Columbus.
Alex Lyon has not skated since injuring his shoulder during the preseason, but Ruff said it should be only “a matter of days” before he’s back on the ice.
Conor Timmins was injured in the preseason finale, and Ruff does not yet have a clear timeline for his return. He will begin the season on injured reserve.
Lastly, Jason Zucker remains out after undergoing offseason surgery for a sports hernia. He was placed on IR at the start of camp and is expected to be ready in roughly two weeks, according to general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen.
The Sabres head into opening night mostly healthy and with their core pieces trending in the right direction. Despite a bumpy preseason on the injury front, they’re positioned well for Thursday’s opener in Columbus and should have key reinforcements returning soon.
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