The Buffalo Sabres hit the road for their second game of the 2025-26 regular season, a Saturday night showdown with the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
Following Thursday’s 4-0 loss in the opener versus New York, Buffalo looks to build upon the positives from that first game – the defense and penalty killing, primarily – and get rolling offensively.
While the scorers find their footing and several key players deal with injuries, the Sabres will lean heavily on goaltender Alex Lyon. In his team debut, he made 29 saves and kept Buffalo within a goal for 55 minutes, but he was disappointed about allowing two late ones that put the game out of reach.
“You never know which save is going to be really important, and that’s the mentality that I strive for: just continue to be dialed for the whole game,” Lyon said.
The 34-year-old, Buffalo’s starter while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recovers from a lower-body injury, is embracing one of the biggest opportunities yet in his nine-season NHL career. And Thursday’s performance inspired confidence that he can help lead an early-season run for the Sabres.
“I think he gave us a chance to win a hockey game,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “He was sharp.”
“For sure, (some) things to take away,” Lyon said of his and the team’s performance. “But you play the game to win, as well, so we’ve got to try to get a win on Saturday.”
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the divisional showdown.