Practice Report | Sabres prepare for season opener at home on Thursday

The Buffalo Sabres took the ice at KeyBank Center on Wednesday for their final practice ahead of their season opener at home on Thursday against the New York Rangers.

Following practice, Sabres coach Don Granato expressed his excitement to get the regular season started after a six-month offseason.

“It’s exciting to get the process going,” Granato said. “…When camp opens, you can’t replicate a regular season. Guys have had a lot of pent-up energy and excitement and adrenaline for the opener, and it’s a whole different animal in itself. But to get in a rhythm now, to finally get the season started and get back to a rhythm is something that is exciting – even beyond tomorrow’s game.”

With only a limited number of tickets still available for Thursday’s game, the team is looking forward to playing in front of a full crowd.  

“Our guys love the energy in this building when this building is going. And you feel it on the bench. You feel that the players feel it,” Granato said. “…This building is unique. It has its own identity.

“That is an energy boost to any, in our case, our players. That’s a great advantage for me as a coach when that happens, and our players feed right off it.”

Thursday’s pregame coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. on MSG. The puck will drop at 7 on MSG and WGR 550.

Here are more notes from practice at KeyBank Center.

1. Casey Mittelstadt returned to practice for the Sabres after missing Tuesday’s practice with an upper-body tweak. He returned to his usual spot, centering Jordan Greenway and Zach Benson.

Here’s how the rest of the group lined up:

Forwards

53 Jeff Skinner – 72 Tage Thompson – 89 Alex Tuch

77 JJ Peterka – 24 Dylan Cozens – 71 Victor Olofsson

12 Jordan Greenway – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 9 Zach Benson

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 19 Peyton Krebs – 21 Kyle Okposo

17 Tyson Jost

93 Matt Savoie

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 23 Mattias Samuelsson

25 Owen Power – 10 Henri Jokiharju

6 Erik Johnson – 75 Connor Clifton

78 Jacob Bryson

Goalies

27 Devon Levi

31 Eric Comrie

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

2. The fourth line consisting of Zemgus Girgensons, Peyton Krebs, and Kyle Okposo is looking to contribute more on the offensive side of the game this season. After practice, Granato shared that he is confident the trio is capable of doing more offensively without giving up anything defensively. 

“They all have greater offensive capabilities, and it’s not doing much different than they did last season other than recognizing you are going to score goals different than another line," Granato said. "You’re going to score them in a different way. You’ve forced turnovers in a different way. They force more turnovers than most lines. And now it’s recognizing that you’re doing that.”

3. Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson are set to make their regular season debuts for the first time at KeyBank Center since arriving to Buffalo at the start of free agency. While both have adjusted to a new system and new teammates, they have settled in on a defense pair together. Granato believes that the duo will settle in nicely after getting a few regular season reps in the Sabres' system. 

"I think both those players, Clifton and Erik Johnson, are much more comfortable but they still haven’t had regular season games and situations and scenarios. They’ve had pretty much every scenario in practice, but it’s different when you get in the game," Granato said. "But I love where they’re at. They’ve engaged with a level of intensity that’s rubbed off on their peers."

4. Johnson has stood out amongst his teammates as a veteran leader and someone who can help convey messages to young players. With all of his experience from the ups and downs in Colorado to winning the Stanley Cup, Granato and staff will be leaning on Johnson more this season to share those lessons and experiences to the group. 

“Much like I rely on Kyle Okposo and I relied on Craig Anderson last year, we will rely a lot on Erik Johnson from the coaching side of things and helping us convey messages," Granato said. “There is valuable information for us as coaches that’s right there for us as well.”

5. The Sabres’ Home Opener, presented by The BFLO Store, will kick off at 4 p.m. Thursday in Alumni Plaza. The evening will begin with the unveiling of the Rick Jeanneret Trailblazing Sign, followed by player arrivals on the Blue and Gold Carpet.

For more information, click here.