What Sabres Can Expect Against EHC Red Bull München

While the Buffalo Sabres prospects keep the organization undefeated in the preseason, the NHL squad is in Germany preparing to face EHC Red Bull München in the brand-new SAP Garden. The German hockey club won the Deutsche Eishockey Liga four times in the past eight seasons, including 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2023.

The Sabres roster in Munich is comprised of players who won the first two preseason games in blowout fashion. Buffalo won 7-3 over the Pittsburgh Penguins and 6-1 over the Columbus Blue Jackets, both in front of the home fans at KeyBank Center.

Forward JJ Peterka, who recorded a hat trick in the game against Pittsburgh, was born in Munich and used to play for Red Bull. The Sabres left-winger grew up through the Red Bull Hockey Academy and had 31 points in 72 games from 2019 to 2021 with the EHC Red Bull München.

Where to Watch

Gametime: 2:30 p.m. ET

Location: SAP Garden (Munich, Germany)

TV: MSG (Buffalo), NHL Network

Stream: MSG+

Radio: WGR550

Sabres Gameday

Rasmus Dahlin skated in Munich in a regular practice jersey for the first time since leaving the ice with a mid-body injury on day one of training camp. The star defenseman was named captain Thursday and will become the 33rd player in team history to wear the “C”. It’s yet to be determined if he’s ready to play, although head coach Lindy Ruff noted that he should be a full-go since ditching the non-contact jersey.

The Sabres brought three goalies to Europe with them, and James Reimer is the only one that has yet to see preseason game action. The exhibition versus Red Bull might be the right time to get Reimer some time, as the Sabres prepare to kick off the regular season in Prague, Czechia next week.

As for the rest of the lineup, we’ll find out how they line up at the morning skate. The Sabres will skate at 11:30 a.m. local time, which is 5:30 a.m. ET with the six-hour time difference.

EHC Red Bull München

EHC Red Bull München is no slouch, as they’re currently tied as the betting favorites to win the DEL at +250 on DraftKings Sportsbook. They have five former NHL players, including winger Tobias Rieder. Reider played for the Buffalo Sabres during the 2020-2021 season, scoring seven points in 44 games.

Forwards Ben Smith, Taro Hirose, Adam Brooks, and defenseman Jonathon Blum are the other players with NHL experience, totaling 450 games between them. Add that to Rieder’s 478 NHL games, and Red Bull’s veterans have accumulated 928 NHL appearances altogether.

Playing to Red Bull’s advantage is the bigger ice surface. The European ice rink is nearly 14 feet wider than the NHL standard, which adds an unusual dynamic to the game. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff already stated that there will be an emphasis on playing “between the dots” and not getting lured to the outside too much.

Injury Report

Buffalo Sabres

• Rasmus Dahlin (Mid-Body) Day-to-day

EHC Red Bull München

• Unspecified

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenway

Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Jiri Kulich – Peyton Krebs – Lukas Rousek

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power – Bowen Byram

Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton

Jacob Bryson – Dennis Gilbert

Kale Clague

Goalies

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Devon Levi

James Reimer

Sabres Roster: Sabres Depth Chart Update Heading into Training Camp

EHC Red Bull München

Forwards

• Adam Brooks
• Chris DeSousa
• Andreas Eder
• Yasin Ehliz
• Markus Eisenschmid
• Patrick Hager
• Nikolaus Heigl
• Taro Hirose
• Maximilian Kastner
• Nico Krämmer
• Veit Oswald
• Trevor Parkes
• Tobias Rieder
• Ben Smith
• Filip Varejcka

Defense

• Konrad Abeltshauser
• Dominik Bittner
• Jonathon Blum
• Maximilian Daubner
• Sten Fischer
• Emil Johansson
• Les Lancaster
• Jakob Weber

Goalies

• Christopher Kolarz
• Mathias Niederberger