BUFFALO – Bo, meet Radim. Radim, meet Bo. Now go out and play together.
In the opening days of training camp, the Sabres kept the players expected to comprise their NHL roster in one practice group. So defenseman Bowen Byram said he hadn’t met rookie Radim Mrtka until this morning.
Tonight, Byram will be tasked with skating alongside Mrtka, 18, in his NHL preseason debut on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“He’s a big body that can move really well,” Byram said of the 6-foot-6 Mrtka, the ninth overall pick this year. “Yeah, I’m exited to play with him tonight. It’s always fun playing with new guys and getting to know them and seeing what their game’s like.”
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said pairing Byram, 24, with the prospect is a reflection of tonight’s lineup.
“Really just play ‘em,” Ruff said of putting them together. “We’re trying to balance the squad for these next two games. So you look at it, we’ve tried to get an equal number of vets in both groups and young guys. So I wouldn’t overthink where he’s at.”
The Sabres host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
In other lineup news, Ruff said goalie Alexandar Georgiev will start tonight and play 40 minutes before Devon Levi replaces him for the third period. Ruff said Levi will also relieve Tuesday’s starter, likely Alex Lyon, for the final 20 minutes.
The Sabres signed Georgiev, 29, earlier this month after goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen tweaked a lower-body injury.
While the Bulgarian is an established talent – he has twice led the NHL in wins – he’s fighting to make the team after a down season.
“He’s just got to use his platform,” Ruff said. “I think it’s an opportunity for him to say, ‘I can be a goaltender that can really help you guys out.’ So every opportunity that he gets is a statement that he’s going to make to us.”
Tonight’s roster with the lines and defense pairs is below.
Forwards
– Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich and Josh Doan
– Beck Malenstyn, Peyton Krebs and Justin Danforth
– Mason Geertsen, Tyson Kozak and Josh Dunne
– Anton Wahlberg, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius
Defense
– Byram and Mrtka
– Power and Michael Kesselring
– Nikita Novikov and Vsevolod Komarov