The Buffalo Sabres goal crease is becoming quite crowded.
Starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukonen is set to return to the NHL club from injury after a one game Conditioning appearance with the AHL Rochester Americans.
Summer free agent addition Alex Lyon carried the load for the Sabres to begin the season. Lyon started Buffalo’s first six contests and was the Sabres best player through a majority of those games.
Coming into this week, with Buffalo facing a stretch of four games in six nights, it was time to work in a rest for Lyon who has not been a starting goaltender in the NHL to this point in his career.
Ellis Enters Sabres picture
Enter Colten Ellis. The 25-year-old native of River Denys Nova Scotia who was acquired by the Sabres on a waiver claim from the St. Louis Blues earlier in the month.
Ellis started his first NHL game on Wednesday night in Buffalo, in a key early season matchup with division rival Detroit.
“I guess you don’t really know until you play him, “ said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. “He’s done a lot of good things in practice, made a lot of good saves. He’s working extremely hard. I just thought he looked comfortable. He looked solid all night. I thought handling the puck he helped our defensemen out a lot, breaking the puck out.”
Ellis delivered when his team needed him most, as the Sabres continue to dig themselves out of a hole of three consecutive losses to start the 25-26 season.
“There were definitely a lot of nerves in the first little bit of the game,” confirmed Ellis “Then I think I settled in and started playing my game a little more, but I was definitely nervous going in.”
Ellis overcame initial nervousness and came up big throughout the game. Most notably, he made a breakaway stop on Wings star center Dylan Larkin. The 4-2 victory was the Sabres third consecutive win on home ice.
Even with Ellis’ outstanding first game performance in the books, it’s difficult to forecast what the future holds.
With Luukonen’s return to Buffalo and Lyon’s excellent start to the season, there is only so much playing time to go around.
Ellis would surely be reclaimed by the Blues should the Sabres attempt to send him to Rochester.
For now the juggling act of three goaltenders on an NHL roster will be on display in Buffalo.
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