Suddenly crucial Buffalo Sabres player praised by position coach

The ever inconsistent Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is off to a sluggish start to the new NHL season and veteran backup Alex Lyon remains sidelined by an upper-body injury. It's left the Buffalo Sabres to face a renewed round of goaltending questions.

Enter Colten Ellis.

The 26-year-old Canadian netminder performed well in limited action for Buffalo last season, compiling a .903 save percentage across 16 appearances (14 starts). Now he'll be given an opportunity to increase his share of the workload in the Sabres crease.

Ellis is expected to start Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Wild and, given UPL's struggles, a strong outing could lead head coach Lindy Ruff to ride the hot hand for a bit.

Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic spoke with Cape Breton Eagles goalie coach Scott Gouthro, who serves as Ellis' position coach in the offseason, about what makes the former St. Louis Blues prospect special.

His commitment level is second to none. I still remember a couple summers ago, the rink would open at 6 a.m. for a 7 a.m. skate and he would be outside running laps getting himself warmed up before the rink even opened so he could be ready to get the work in. It's little things like that.Scott Gouthro on Colten Ellis

Although the Sabres have retained the same three-goalie rotation from last season with UPL, Lyon and Ellis, there have been small signs since the start of training camp suggesting the 2019 third-round pick could be trending toward a more important role.

Ellis was Buffalo's most impressive netminder throughout the preseason, which saw him appear in all four exhibition games because of injuries to Luukkonen and Lyon. He stopped 41 of the 44 shots he faced (.932 SV%) and posted 0.92 goals saved above average (GSAA), per Natural Stat Trick.

UPL has failed to fully grasp the club's starting goaltender role despite being given countless chances in recent years, and Lyon is a 33-year-old impending unrestricted free agent who probably doesn't feature prominently in the front office's long-term plans.

Add in the fact Devon Levi, who was long viewed as the Sabres' future between the pipes before his climb up to the organizational depth chart stalled, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers over the summer, and the door is suddenly wide open for Ellis.

His track record, which includes a .919 SV% in 64 AHL appearances while with the Blues, suggests there's a chance he could eventually emerge as a No. 1 NHL goalie.

For now, Ellis will just want to deliver a strong performance against the Wild, which could lead to another start Thursday night when Buffalo welcomes the Dallas Stars to the KeyBank Center.

Alex Lyon returns to Sabres practice; No timetable for return

Lyon took part in Tuesday's morning skate, his first appearance at a Sabres practice session since getting injured in the club's Sept. 24 preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

"Been feeling good the last few days," Lyon told reporters afterward. "The protocols for injury in 2026 are extensive, so I feel confident and happy and really hungry."

Ruff added there was still "no timetable" for the goaltender's return to game action.