Colten Ellis
Ellis enters 2026-27 as Buffalo's third goalie behind clear starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and free-agent addition Alex Lyon, but a Sept. 24 upper-body injury to Lyon in preseason has put Ellis in position for real early-season minutes if he makes the Opening Night roster.
Role
Per NHL.com's Sabres beat coverage (checked Sept. 25-26), Ellis has come in relief in all three of Buffalo's preseason games, most recently stopping 16 of 18 shots after replacing an injured Lyon in a 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit on Sept. 24. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters (via CBS Sports/RotoWire, roughly a week ago) that the Sabres' goaltenders will likely share the net to begin the season, with Luukkonen and Lyon projected to see the most work and Ellis in line for a timeshare role only if he breaks camp with the club; his final roster status has not been confirmed in reporting reviewed here. Lyon's injury is still being evaluated as of NHL.com's report a day ago, with Ruff calling himself optimistic it isn't serious, but no return timeline has been given.
As a rookie last season Ellis went 8-4-2 with a .903 save percentage over 16 NHL appearances, ranking among the better rookie goalies by that measure, and Ruff's own comments about net-sharing plus Lyon's unresolved injury open a realistic path to more starts than a typical third goalie would get to open the year.
He is still third on the depth chart behind an established Luukkonen, who posted a .910 save percentage in 35 games last season, and Lyon, whom the club added to be the clear backup; Ruff has described his own coach's injury outlook as optimistic, and every one of Ellis's preseason appearances so far has been an unplanned relief stint rather than a start, which is a thin basis for projecting real workload.
Where analysts split
The specific question in current coverage is whether Lyon's upper-body injury is serious enough to keep him out for the start of the regular season, which would determine whether Ellis's early net-sharing role becomes meaningful playing time or stays a depth-chart formality; that has not been resolved in reporting checked through Sept. 26.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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