The Buffalo Sabres resumed training camp on Monday and they’re down to just one group after loaning 21 players to the Rochester Americans over the weekend. Twenty-eight players took the ice for practice as the Sabres prepare for their final two games of the preseason.
Buffalo will face the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow night at KeyBank Center and the line combinations and pairings from Monday’s practice might be a good indication of how head coach Don Granato will want to see his team line up on opening night.
“The meeting this morning was much different than meetings that we’ve had prior in training camp. The practice focus and intensity was different as well,” Granato said.
“In line combinations, we’re starting to look at, ‘OK, these combinations we have here are in hopes that we don’t want to tweak things around much at this point.’ We know we can, but we’d like to see the groups that were out here get the next few days of practice and games together, for the most part.”
Tickets for Tuesday’s game are on sale now. Pregame coverage on MSG will begin at 6:30 p.m. with faceoff set for 7 on MSG and WGR 550.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald is considered day-to-day with an injury and did not practice. Goaltender Malcolm Subban was also not at practice. He cleared waivers Monday afternoon and has been assigned to Rochester.
The Amerks opened their training camp today.
Video: Don Granato after Monday’s practice
Two of Rochester’s most prolific players last season, Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka, practiced with some more veteran Sabres players Monday.
Quinn was with Casey Mittelstadt and Alex Tuch. JJ Peterka worked on a line with Dylan Cozens and Peyton Krebs.
Quinn was the AHL’s Rookie of the Year after averaging 1.36 points per game in 45 games. He played in his first two NHL games last year, recording a pair of points, including his first NHL goal.
Peterka, meanwhile, led the Amerks in scoring with 68 points (28+40) in 70 games. He also made his NHL debut last season and totaled three shots in a pair of games.
| October 3, 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 22 Jack Quinn | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 89 Alex Tuch |
| 19 Peyton Krebs | 24 Dylan Cozens | 77 JJ Peterka |
| 74 Rasmus Aplund | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 21 Kyle Okposo |
| 15 Anders Bjork | 8 Riley Sheahan | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza |
| LD | RD | G |
| 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 41 Craig Anderson |
| 25 Owen Power | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 31 Eric Comrie |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| 4 Jeremy Davies | 20 Lawrence Pilut | |
| 38 Kale Clague | 33 Chase Priskie | |
Granato is excited to see how younger players like Quinn, Peterka and Owen Power adjust to more up-tempo NHL practices.
“You’re going to see them acclimate really fast because it’s the first time they’ve ever experienced such a pace, such experience,” he said. “If you play it right, you want their confidence to grow through that too. Jack, I think, has looked better as camp has progressed and I thought today was even better than what he’s show me to this point.”
The team must get down to 23 players on the active roster by 5 p.m. on October 10. Buffalo will open the regular season at home against the Ottawa Senators on October 13.