Alex Lyon spoke about the challenges facing the Buffalo Sabres as they begin their first long road trip of the season while missing several important players.
“I’ve been in these situations before, where it’s like the chips are down, and those are the times you have to be at your best,” Lyon said.
“You have to push through it and just can’t give yourself any excuses. It’s no secret: that’s what it’s about, and it’s a hard thing to do in this league.”
The Sabres started their four-game road series with a 6-3 loss against Carolina on Saturday. The trip continues with back-to-back games against Western Conference teams, starting Wednesday against the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center.
Buffalo is still looking for its first win on the road this season, currently holding a record of 0-3-2 away from home.
“We just have to get better at playing on the road,” Lyon said. “It’s a completely different skill than playing at home. Your details just have to be that much better.”
The game will start at 9 p.m. EST. Fans in Buffalo can watch on MSG, with pregame coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m., or stream through Gotham Sports App and ESPN+ for out-of-market viewers. Radio coverage is available on WGR 550 and the Buffalo Sabres App.
The team remains without captain Rasmus Dahlin, who is currently on personal leave in Sweden, along with five key forwards: Josh Norris (upper-body injury), Justin Danforth (lower-body injury), Zach Benson (lower-body injury), Jiri Kulich (blood clot), and Jazon Zucker (illness).
During morning practice, Colten Ellis had his own net while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon shared another, suggesting Ellis may make his second career start.
Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring will play as visitors at Delta Center for the first time since being traded from Utah for JJ Peterka last summer. Both players began their careers with Arizona before joining Utah during its inaugural Salt Lake City season in 2024-25.
“Playing them in Buffalo was cool, but I think tomorrow in Delta (Center) will be really special,” Kesselring said Tuesday. “The fans were unbelievable to me and Doaner last year.”
In their previous meeting on November 4th, Buffalo lost to Utah 2-1 in overtime despite Lyon making 33 saves against an active Mammoth offense that created many high-danger chances according to Natural Stat Trick data.
Since then, Utah has experienced its first losing streak of the season after starting with nine wins out of thirteen games. The Mammoth have allowed four or more goals in each of their last three losses—all played on the road—and have not scored a power-play goal over six consecutive games during which they went scoreless in thirteen attempts.
