Sebastian Cossa may not be ready for the big time after all.
The Buffalo Sabres roughed up Cossa as they scored four goals on just 20 shots and smashed the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 in a preseason game Saturday night at KeyBank Center.
At the end of the day, Cossa went up against most of Buffalo’s regular NHL lineup and came out looking shaky. This was his chance to prove he’s ready for a call-up and to slide in behind John Gibson as the backup. With Cam Talbot struggling in his last outing, the door was open for Cossa to deliver a statement game. Instead, he fell short.
The Sabres took full advantage of Cossa’s mistakes, most of them stemming from poor positioning, and punished him like a skilled counterpuncher. He also seemed to have trouble tracking the puck—his timing and reflexes were a step behind all night.
That happens sometimes; no goalie is perfect every game. Still, as the first Detroit netminder to play a full game this preseason, there’s no hiding from the fact that Buffalo found the back of the net from the opening period on.
Not a good night
Tage Thompson—who scored the overtime winner for Team USA in the 2025 IIHF World Championship gold medal game this past summer—found the net twice for Buffalo. His first strike came just 14 seconds into the second period, a quick face-off play that caught Cossa off guard.
His second came with 37 seconds left in regulation, a power-play blast that slipped past as Cossa, out of position and scrambling, arrived a moment too late.
Buffalo had already set the tone in the opening frame, putting two past Cossa. Rasmus Dahlin hammered a one-timer from the point through a heavy screen only 3:41 into the game. Was that entirely on Cossa? Not necessarily. But nine minutes later, Radim Mrtka beat him cleanly five-hole off the rush.
At the other end, former Red Wings netminder Alex Lyon enjoyed a far different night. After two seasons in Detroit, Lyon signed a two-year deal with Buffalo this offseason and turned aside 26 of 28 shots.
Patrick Kane and Marco Kasper managed to get on the board, but their efforts weren’t enough to change the outcome.
What's the plan?
In the wake of this performance, it is all but certain that Cossa will open the 2025–26 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Should Gibson or Talbot miss time due to injury, there remains a realistic path for Cossa to earn a call-up; however, his immediate hopes of securing the NHL backup role have likely evaporated, barring an unexpected second chance in the preseason.
If that opportunity does not materialize, it will be back to the AHL for Cossa—a setting where he still has considerable development ahead of him before he can reasonably expect to establish himself as a permanent presence in an NHL locker room.