BUFFALO – Sabres center Josh Dunne figures at least 50 supporters, perhaps as many as 100, will be on hand tonight at the Enterprise Center to watch him play his first NHL regular-season game in St. Louis.
Following Sunday’s practice, Dunne, 27, was still working on an exact number, reaching out to people and receiving texts.
“But that’s all part of the fun,” Dunne, whose Sabres carry an eight-game win streak into tonight’s contest against the Blues, told the Times Herald in KeyBank Center.
While he played preseason games in St. Louis as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, this contest is the real deal.
It promises to be an emotional and unforgettable experience. Dunne grew up in O’Fallon, Missouri, about 25 miles from the Enterprise Center, loving the Blues and attending games with his family while developing in St. Louis’ burgeoning hockey scene.
“It’s just something that’s so amazing and a full-circle moment,” Dunne said of tonight’s game.
Watching some Blues teams featuring the likes of David Backes, Cam Janssen, T.J. Oshie, David Perron always made for a special night.
In Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win in Ottawa, Dunne played against Perron, 37, now a Senators winger in his 19th season.
Janssen, a St. Louis native who racked up 774 penalty minutes over parts of nine NHL seasons, was Dunne’s favorite player. Watching a homegrown tough guy who literally fought for his opportunities showed him he could make it to the big leagues.
“He’s a St. Louis kid growing up, and there wasn’t a lot at the time,” Dunne said. “… He was just heart and soul. He earned everything he got, and I think that was the thing for me that resonated with me most, was just a guy that never took no for an answer and just kept pushing and kept working.”
A few years ago, Dunne got to know Janssen, and he now considers him a mentor.
“The St. Louis community’s (a) really small … hockey community,” Dunne said. “So everybody kind of looks out for everybody.”
Over the last decade, St. Louis has started producing high-end NHL talent, thanks in part to some former Blues players. Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk and Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk, whose father, Keith, starred for the Blues, are the most prominent names.
Dunne said wouldn’t be in the NHL if Keith Tkachuk and Jeff Brown hadn’t coached him growing up.
“Oh, I’m so proud of coming from St. Louis,” he said. “Yeah, it’s a great community and really good people that care about each and tight-knit, so I’ve loved every minute.”
Dunne, who cleared waivers before the season and started with the Rochester Americans, said he tries to enjoy each day he has with the Sabres.
Having played just 16 NHL games over his first four pro seasons – 14 with Columbus over parts of two years and two with Buffalo in 2024-25 after signing a two-year contract – he understands opportunities can be limited.
Dunne, a free agent out of Clarkson University, has played 24 games this season, scoring one goal and four points. He had zero points entering the campaign.
In spending more than two months with the Sabres, he has accomplished something unique.
Depth players signed for the minors rarely morph into NHL regulars. They might temporarily fill the void when they’re called up, but they rarely stick around.
Dunne, a versatile and heavy presence, has seized his opportunities and kept earning more because injuries have ravaged the Sabres up front.
He has recently been centering the fourth line alongside Beck Malenstyn and Jordan Greenway or Isak Rosen. He also spent time at left wing on the fourth line before center Tyson Kozak’s upper-body injury forced Sabres coach Lindy Ruff to shift him.
Ruff has shown confidence in Dunne and his linemates all season, sometimes utilizing them in critical situations.
“He’s taken advantage of that opportunity (injuries have created),” Ruff said. “The role that he’s played, whether it’s left wing or fourth-line center, and some penalty killing. He’s been good on faceoffs.
“I think he’s taken advantage of every possible opportunity he’s been given, whether it has been physicality or stepping in for somebody, he’s been there to answer the bell and take advantage of whatever ice time is given, and I think he’s played well.”
Dunne said “a lot of times it just takes a break or two” to get that chance in the NHL.
“And it’s happened here so far,” he said.