Ellis is expected to start at home against Utah on Saturday, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
Ellis is set to make his second start of the campaign after stopping 18 of 20 shots en route to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Wild on Tuesday. He had an 8-4-2 record, 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage in 16 regular-season appearances with the Sabres in 2025-26. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has gotten off to a rough start, and Alex Lyon (upper body) is on the shelf, so there might be an opportunity for Ellis to get extra work in the short term if he performs well.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Makes 18 saves Tuesday
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Ellis stopped 18 of 20 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Wild.
Ellis allowed goals to Danila Yurov and Maxim Shabanov during a 1:45 span in the second period but was perfect the rest of the way, giving Buffalo's offense an opportunity to rally. The Sabres erased the two-goal deficit in the third before Noah Power delivered the winner in overtime. This was Ellis' first appearance of the season, and he should remain as the Sabres' No. 2 option between the posts behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, although he could lose some opportunities once Alex Lyon (upper body) returns to the roster, which could happen sooner rather than later. For now, though, Ellis should continue as the backup behind Luukkonen, meaning his opportunities to see action will remain limited, and his fantasy upside will remain matchup-based.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Tending twine against Minnesota
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Ellis will start Tuesday's home game against the Wild, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Ellis didn't start in either of the Sabres' first two games of the season, but he'll make his regular-season debut Tuesday. Across 16 regular-season appearances with Buffalo last year, he went 8-4-2 with a 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage. Although Ellis will draw the start against Minnesota, Alex Lyon (upper body) participated in Tuesday's morning skate, and Ellis could lose out on some opportunities once Lyon is cleared to return to game action.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Opportunity could be knocking
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Ellis stopped all six shots he faced after replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) in the third period of Saturday's 3-1 preseason loss to the Penguins.
The Sabres could be facing an early goaltending crisis. This is the second time this preseason Ellis has been needed in relief of an injured teammate, after Alex Lyon (upper body) left Thursday's contest. If the issues for Luukkonen and Lyon sideline them for any length of time, Ellis would get the start for Buffalo's opener Thursday against Columbus. In that scenario, Matt Villalta would be the most likely candidate to be recalled from AHL Rochester to back Ellis up.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Could be part of timeshare early
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Ellis could be part of a timeshare in the crease early in the 2026-27 campaign if he makes the Opening Night roster, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports Wednesday.
Head coach Lindy Ruff said Wednesday that the Sabres' goaltenders will likely share the net to begin the 2026-27 campaign. While Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon will likely see the most playing time in the crease this year, Ellis could benefit from a timeshare if he breaks camp with the Sabres. Across 16 appearances with the NHL club last year, Ellis went 8-4-2 with a 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Guarding goal Wednesday
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Ellis will start at home versus the Stars on Wednesday, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.
Ellis will get the nod in Buffalo's regular-season finale. He'll likely open the postseason as backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, while Alex Lyon (lower body) is on the mend. Ellis earned his first career shutout in his last start, a 37-save effort Thursday versus the Blue Jackets.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: First career NHL shutout
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Ellis made 37 saves in a 5-0 win over Columbus on Thursday.
It was Ellis' first start and just his second appearance for Buffalo since Feb. 3, and he stepped up with his first career shutout. Ellis' 37 saves are tied for the third-most by a rookie netminder in a shutout in Sabres history. Linus Ullmark stopped 40 and Martin Biron made 39 saves. Ellis is slotted into the No. 2 spot behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Buffalo since Alex Lyon is out for at least a week due to a lower-body injury.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Starting against Columbus
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Ellis will start at home against the Blue Jackets on Thursday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Ellis has seen minimal work in recent weeks, but he'll likely serve as the No. 2 option behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen over the final week of the regular season, and potentially the start of the playoffs, since Alex Lyon (lower body) is considered week-to-week. Across 14 appearances this year, Ellis has gone 7-4-1 with a 3.13 GAA and .895 save percentage.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Yields three goals in relief
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Ellis turned away 20 of 23 shots on net in Saturday's 6-2 loss to Washington.
Ellis entered Saturday's contest in relief of Alex Lyon and put together a fair outing despite the loss. Overall, Ellis now holds a 7-4-1 record, a 3.13 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 14 games this season. Saturday's outing was the 25-year-old netminder's first appearance since the Olympic break, and he should likely see some more playing time now that the Sabres have qualified for the playoffs. His next chance to take the ice is Monday's home game against the Lightning.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Set for backup duties
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Ellis (undisclosed) will back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Tuesday's game versus the Golden Knights, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Ellis hasn't played since Feb. 3 versus the Lightning, but he was recently bothered by an injury. Even now that he's healthy, Ellis is unlikely to see much playing time as long as Luukkonen and Alex Lyon continue to play well.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Remains out of action
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Ellis (undisclosed) will not suit up versus Toronto on Saturday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Ellis last saw action Feb. 3, stopping 31 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to Tampa Bay. He is 7-4-1 with a 3.11 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 13 outings this season. Ellis is currently the Sabres' third-string goaltender, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon are ahead of him on the Sabres' depth chart.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Win streak snapped
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Ellis made 31 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning on Tuesday.
He came within 15 seconds of getting the game to a shootout and earn a point, but Tampa Bay wired the winner in OT. Ellis had two straight wins prior to Tuesday and will remain the No. 2 man in Buffalo as long as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) is sidelined. UPL will not be joining Finland for the 2026 Winter Olympics and time will tell if he'll be ready to return immediately after that break. Ellis is 2-0-1 in his last three games.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Nets another win
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Ellis made 20 saves in a 5-3 win over Montreal on Thursday.
Ellis is currently with the Sabres while Alex Lyon (lower body) is on injured reserve. He is 2-1-0 in three starts since he was summoned from the AHL. He has allowed eight goals in those three games. Lyon was on a seven-game winning streak before he got hurt, and he's about eight days into a 7-10 day absence. There have been no reports that he has resumed skating, so it looks like Ellis will be with the Sabres for a bit longer.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Nabs win in return to crease
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Ellis stopped 30 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.
The 25-year-old rookie looked good in his first game action since Dec. 9, as Ellis missed most of the month in between with a concussion. On the season, he's gone 5-3-0 in nine outings with a 3.10 GAA and .900 save percentage, and he'll fill the No. 2 role between the pipes behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen while Alex Lyon (lower body) is on the shelf.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Placed on injured reserve
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Ellis (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.
Ellis landed in the concussion protocol after exiting Tuesday's game against the Oilers, and he'll be sidelined for at least a week while he recovers. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon should see time in the crease while Ellis is unavailable.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: In concussion protocol
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Ellis entered the concussion protocol after exiting Tuesday's game versus the Oilers, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Ellis will be unavailable until he is cleared from the protocol. The 25-year-old goalie could very well miss some time after getting hit in the first period of Tuesday's game. For as long as he's unavailable, the Sabres' crease will be split between Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Starting versus Flyers
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Ellis will start in goal on the road versus the Flyers on Wednesday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Ellis won his last outing, stopping 22 of 24 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over the Wild on Saturday. He is still working on carving out a larger share of playing time as the Sabres balance having three goalies on their roster. The Flyers have won three of their last four games while scoring 13 times in that span.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Gets back in win column
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Ellis stopped 22 of 24 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over the Wild.
Ellis was torched for six goals in his last outing, but he was able to pick up his third win in his last four starts with this performance. The second goal he allowed in regulation was off a turnover, so this was actually a pretty good performance for the 25-year-old. Ellis is up to 4-2-0 with a 3.13 GAA and an .898 save percentage across six starts this season. The Sabres don't have any back-to-backs in the coming week -- they play at home against the Jets on Monday before visiting the Flyers on Wednesday and the Jets on Friday. With three goalies on the roster, it remains difficult to predict how the workload will get divided, though Ellis getting a win Saturday should help him get another look in the crease soon.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Starting in Minnesota
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Ellis will protect the road goal versus the Wild on Saturday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Ellis has not played in the last four games since he allowed six goals on 35 shots to the Flames. The Sabres' three-man goalie room continues to make it difficult for any of the team's netminders to carve out a larger role. Ellis will have a tough test against the Wild, who have won seven straight games with three shutout victories in that span.
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Sabres' Colten Ellis: Burned by Flames
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Ellis made 29 saves in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Calgary.
The rookie netminder crashed back to earth in the third period Wednesday, giving up four goals on 14 shots as the Flames blew open a 2-2 tie. Ellis was mainly the victim of bad luck and bad defensive play in front of him however -- the final puck to get past him caromed off the back glass, came over the top of the net and deflected in off his skate before he could even locate it. Ellis has started four of the last five games for a Buffalo team searching for some stability in net, going 2-2-0 with a 3.77 GAA and .886 save percentage, and the 25-year-old may not be the solution.
