Saturday’s home game was postponed because five Boston Bruins players entered the NHL’s COVID Protocol, but the Buffalo Sabres have not had any players enter protocol, so tonight’s road game against the New York Rangers is on as scheduled.
Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550 with pregame coverage on MSG starting at 6:30.
The game kicks off a road trip that features four games in six nights.
Here’s what you need to know.
Sunday’s practice
Video: PRACTICE REPORT
The Sabres stayed off the ice Saturday in an exercise of caution following the outbreak with Boston. They returned to practice on Sunday.
Dylan Cozens participated in a second straight practice, keeping him on track to return to the lineup against the Rangers on Monday. Cozens has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury.
Friday marked Don Granato’s first practice as interim head coach and he looked to instill his message of pace again on Sunday. From our Practice Report:
Video: PRACTICE REPORT
Granato had little time to implement changes prior to his first game as interim head coach of the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The team had its morning skate cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols, forcing him to run his first meeting just two hours prior to puck drop.
The Sabres’ game against the New York Rangers on Monday will offer the first true glance at tweaks made under the interim coaching staff, which includes assistants Dan Girardi and Matt Ellis.
Tage Thompson, who played under Granato previously with the U.S. National Team Development Program, said pace will be a focus moving forward.
“I think just keeping a lot of movement out there, making sure we’re playing with a fast pace, keeping our speed up,” Thompson said. “And he stresses offense quite a bit. I think that’s something we’ve been struggling with. We’ve got to find ways to score. Hopefully that’s something we can add to our game.”
Video: AFTER PRACTICE: Granato
Granato sought to up the pace during practices on Friday and Sunday, both up-tempo sessions that ended with competitive battle drills. Carrying that speed into games will be an area of focus, though it will require a level of connectivity that has been absent of late.
“We’re really going to focus on the team aspect of the game,” Girardi, who will make his debut behind the bench tonight, said. “Being fast, taking angles, being hard to play against. Eliminate the time and space that teams have been getting against us, being able to make plays. We’re just going to really focus on that.
“From that we can really, after tomorrow’s game, really assess, how are the individuals playing within the system we have? What changes can we make?”
Video: AFTER PRACTICE: Girardi
Girardi, who joined the Sabres staff as a development coach in January, played 788 of his 927 NHL games for the Rangers. He retired after the 2018-19 season with Tampa Bay.
Click here for more news, including the line combinations from practice.
Roster moves
On Friday, the team signed goaltender Michael Houser, who had been on an AHL deal with the Rochester Americans, to a one-year NHL contract. Then on Saturday, the team acquired a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft in exchange for goaltender Jonas Johansson.
Before Sunday’s practice, the team assigned Houser and forward Steven Fogarty to the taxi squad.
Video: AFTER PRACTICE: Tokarski
Carter Hutton and Dustin Tokarski are the goalies currently on the active roster. Tokarski signed a two-year deal with Buffalo during the offseason.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark, who sustained a lower-body injury during the team’s game on February 25, is expected to join the team during the road trip.
“We’re planning on him joining us on the trip, which is great news,” Granato said. “We need to integrate him in the practice at some point. That’s the next step here. At that point, we can evaluate when a potential return is. So, that’s all good news with Linus.”
Tonight’s matchup
The Sabres are 1-1-1 against the Rangers so far this season. The team is looking to snap a 13-game winless streak overall. They’re 0-11-2 over that stretch.
New York is coming off a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. The Rangers are currently in sixth place in the East Division with 30 points – that’s four back of Boston for a playoff spot. They’re 5-4-1 over their last 10 games. Pavel Buchnevich leads the team with 28 points (11+17). Artemi Panarin has 25 points (8+17) in 10 fewer games.
From @SabresPR’s Game Notes:
- This is the fourth of eight meetings between the Sabres and Rangers this season.
- Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo 3-2 in New York on March 2.
- Next meeting: Thursday, April 1 in Buffalo.
- The Sabres are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Rangers; 3-7-0 on the road.
- The Sabres are a perfect eight-for-eight on the penalty kill against the Rangers this season.
- Buffalo has a 60.5 faceoff win percentage against the Rangers, its best percentage against any opponent this season.
- Eric Staal has totaled 12 points (5+7) in 11 games against the Rangers since the beginning of the 2016-17 season.
- Sam Reinhart has totaled three points (2+1) in three games against the Rangers this season.
- Victor Olofsson has tallied three assists in three meetings with New York this season.
- Carter Hutton is 5-3-0 with a .925 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average all-time against the Rangers.
- With a win tonight, Hutton would tie his career high with six wins against a single opponent (San Jose Sharks).