Inside Colton Ellis’ summer: From driving 12,000 miles to skating with Crosby and MacKinnon

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Colten Ellis logged roughly 12,000 miles during his offseason in Nova Scotia to train with coach Scott Gouthro and skate alongside NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. Ahead of Buffalo's matchup against the Minnesota Wild, Ellis occupied the starter's net in practice on his 26th birthday, exactly one year after being claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.

Ellis has an opportunity to secure regular playing time with Alex Lyon placed on injured reserve and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen struggling across the first two games. The Sabres also altered their lines in practice, placing Noah Östlund on the top power-play unit and shifting Ryan McLeod to the fourth line.