Buffalo News

'"You had to battle, everything was hard. And our guys found a way to battle," Granato said after the Sabres were outshot, 41-24. "It wasn’t pretty and 'UPL' was outstanding. We had a lot of frustration and points of frustration and a lot of things we can look at that from that side. But we also had a lot of really good things, which is exciting."' … [Read more...] about Observations: Sabres’ OT loss spoils shiny Krebs-to-Tuch connection

'"The symptoms I had the morning and day after I took the last vaccine were much more severe than I experienced through this," Granato said. "Basically I didn't feel much. I was a little lethargic maybe for a day and then ready to go. And so I'm pretty excited to be back and extremely excited and grateful. I feel very, very sure that the vaccination did its work for me."' … [Read more...] about Don Granato returns from Covid protcol to take his spot behind Sabres’ bench

'The prevailing feeling in the organization is that much better times are ahead. Still, it was easy to feel the irony Friday about the site of 2021's final practice. The Sabres worked out at Boston University's Walter Brown Arena, home of the BU women's team. It's a five-minute walk from Agganis Arena, where Jack Eichel became a one-year legend in 2015 and helped lead the BU … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Even as prospects prop hopes, Sabres bid good riddance to 2021

'No other players will be coming off the list for Saturday's game and Ellis will continue to run the bench while Granato remains out. Also sidelined are forwards Dylan Cozens, Mark Jankowski and Zemgus Girgensons, and defenseman Jacob Bryson.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Skinner, Hinostroza could return; Dahlin rues Olympic decision

'They complicated what should have been a simple strategy to wear down an opponent that hadn’t played in 10 days and had four in the NHL’s Covid-19 protocol.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Sabres appear overmatched in loss to open road trip

'"I don't think our expectations going into that game were anything other than winning," said Sabres center Tage Thompson. "We had the guys in the room to do it. ... That's kind of a good game to get our feet wet again. Get the rust off and now there's no excuses."' … [Read more...] about Sabres exit the break sluggish, still show promise without coach, 6 players

'Still, we know development is not going to be a straight line. Krebs was minus-2 in the game and didn't have a shot on goal, while Peterka had just one and overhandled the puck at times. Neither is NHL-ready yet, and that's OK. Give them that first taste in Buffalo now while the lineup is thin.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Don’t let Sabres’ loss overshadow the night’s big picture

'The news about Bryson forced general manager Kevyn Adams and his staff to summon reinforcements from Rochester, as the Sabres recalled defenseman Casey Fitzgerald to the active roster and assigned Ethan Prow to the taxi squad.' … [Read more...] about Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson enters NHL’s Covid-19 protocol

'“They’re both great hockey players in their own right, they both bring different things to the table, and they’re big pieces to what we’re trying to do moving forward,” Ellis said of Krebs and Peterka. “To get them in and get a live look, we’ve certainly been watching a lot on video. ... So, it’s pretty cool to have them in mix and look forward to building off today into … [Read more...] about Sabres set for night of debuts with Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka, Alex Tuch

'“Ells, he’s goes into that category of people that just love the game," said Sabres alternate captain Kyle Okposo. "I’ve been around for a while and he’s right at the top of people who just care about the game and just want to be here. So, always gonna be an enthusiastic – bring an enthusiastic energy and he ran a great practice (Monday). I thought we had great energy as a … [Read more...] about Sabres notes: Matt Ellis will step in as coach if Don Granato remains in protocol

'The league also postponed January games in Canada involving Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa because owners want to wait until there is an opportunity to earn more in ticket sales.' … [Read more...] about NHL postpones Sabres’ game in Montreal scheduled for Jan. 8

'Granato needs two negative PCR tests to exit quarantine earlier and resume his duties as coach. Then came the anxiety of more Covid-19 testing when everyone arrived at the arena. After the Sabres learned that no coaches or players would need to enter protocol, Adams addressed the team in a meeting. He wanted everyone to know the latest information from the NHL and delivered a … [Read more...] about Sabres forced to march on while Don Granato, 5 players try to exit protocol

'"It does enter to the back of your mind that you just don't have any control over the situation," Okposo said after the Sabres returned to practice Monday in KeyBank Center. "You've got to be good at crisis. And that's what we've been in the last 20-whatever months it's been. I think as far as a league as a whole and leadership within our organization, we're doing a good job, … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres working hard to stay upbeat during NHL’s latest Covid crisis

'The road to recovery hasn’t been easy for Tokarski, who told reporters Monday at KeyBank Center that he experienced “mild to moderate” symptoms for a period of a “few days” after his positive test. It took him longer to rejoin the Sabres because of bothersome, lingering effects from his bout with the virus.' … [Read more...] about Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski rejoins team for first time since bout with Covid-19

'Monday's 14-game slate was postponed so the league could get teams back on a testing schedule Sunday and find out their status. Several reports in the Canadian media in recent days said the league may postpone all games this week and try to resume the schedule on Jan. 1 to protect the Winter Classic in Minneapolis between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. But as of … [Read more...] about As Sabres add Don Granato, two players to Covid protocols, NHL forges on