Buffalo's next game is Tuesday at home against Tampa Bay.
"The next guys that might fall, it could happen that we get guys back tomorrow," Granato said. "I don't know if we would put them in a game on Tuesday night."
Video: AFTER PRACTICE: Bjork
Bjork has five points (4+1) in in 29 games. The 25-year-old winger entered his first full season with the Sabres with aspirations of carving out a larger role and increasing his offensive contributions. His career high for a season is 19 points (9+10), set in 58 games with Boston in 2019-20.
"His (identity) is speed and quickness," Sabres coach Granato said. "Being able to use that consistently to impact the game, impact the outcome, make it easier on our team, make it tougher on our team. I know it's general thoughts, but his issue, his challenge, is consistency.
"He knows and we all do know his skill set. It's imprinting that, finding a way to imprint that consistently within the game."
Granato did not rule out the possibility of forward Brett Murray being recalled for Tuesday's game against the Lightning but added that it could depend on the number of forwards available based on COVID protocols.
The Sabres reassigned Murray to Rochester on Friday, the start of a four-day stretch with no games for the NHL club. Murray has played twice with the Amerks in that span.
The 23-year-old winger had tallied six points (2+4) in 15 games since his most recent recall in November.
"We absolutely wanted him to go play games," Granato said. "I think for him and part of the process for him, based on watching him here, is there's still a benefit to playing minutes in Rochester for him. He's evolving and … that is an avenue that can help him become a more effective full-time NHL player, going and playing some minutes down there.
"… If we have spots to fill Tuesday, which it looks like we will, we'll make that decision, we'll discuss it now, later today, and so maybe have somebody up for practice tomorrow, whether it's Murray or somebody else and move toward that game Tuesday."
Here's how the team lined up, with forward Drake Caggiula continuing to practice in a no-contact jersey.
| January 9 |
| --- |
| LW | C | RW |
| 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 71 Victor Olofsson |
| 96 Anders Bjork | 24 Dylan Cozens | 74 Rasmus Asplund |
| 91 Drake Caggiula | 20 Cody Eakin | 15 John Hayden |
| 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 17 Mark Jankowski | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza |
| LD | RD | G |
| 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| 4 Will Butcher | 13 Mark Pysyk | 47 Malcolm Subban |
| 78 Jacob Bryson | 33 Colin Miller | 31 Dustin Tokarski |
| 8 Robert Hagg | | |
