Buffalo Sabres netminder Colten Ellis may be called upon to help his club at the start of the 2026-27 National Hockey League season, depending on the health of starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who practiced on Tuesday and indicated he might be ready to start the season opener in Columbus on Thursday.
The four-game preseason slate has brought about challenges for a Sabres team looking to build on a remarkable second half of the 2025-26 campaign.
Injuries to key personnel plagued Buffalo in exhibition contests. Veteran defensemen Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins and blueline newcomer Olen Zellweger may not be available to start the regular season. For all the concerns on defense, the biggest question mark heading into game one of the season is in the crease.
Both Luukkonen and Alex Lyon are currently sidelined as night one draws ever closer.
Enter Ellis, the third netminder in Buffalo’s goaltender group.
Employing the three-goalie system served the Sabres well last season as injuries in net were a common occurrence last season. With a second consecutive postseason berth the expectation, a strong start is needed in Buffalo. The opportunity to carry the load at the start of an important season is the chance the 25-year-old Ellis has been waiting for.
“A player you don’t know a lot about. He won some big games for us”, said Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff, on Ellis. “You look at the record; that speaks for itself. I think we looked at his record playing in the American League and how well he had played there.”
“He stepped into some tough situations. He went into games, sometimes during a game and played well. I like where he’s got his game. I think the fact that we needed all three guys last year and it looks again to start the year we’re going to need all three guys. “
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