Granato could not confirm lineup decisions due to the uncertainty regarding tests, but Kyle Okposo was among the players on the ice for the morning skate. Okposo has missed three games since sustaining an upper-body injury in Ottawa on Jan. 18.
The Sabres skated with 11 forwards (Anders Bjork, Alex Tuch, Casey Mittelstadt, Cody Eakin, Dylan Cozens, Jeff Skinner, John Hayden, Mark Jankowski, Okposo, Peyton Krebs, and Tage Thompson); six defensemen (Casey Fitzgerald, Jacob Bryson, Mark Pysyk, Mattias Samuelsson, Robert Hagg, and Will Butcher); and two goaltenders (Anderson and Dustin Tokarski).
Granato announced Friday that forward Zemgus Girgensons, who did not make the trip, will be shut down through the All-Star break to rest an injury.
Video: PREGAME: Granato
Granato was asked what Okposo would add should he return to the lineup.
"Kyle is a leader," Granato said. "He plays to win. I'll just talk about Kyle in relation to our last game. We didn't have enough 'play to win' in the last game. And he's a guy that's been around a long time. He laces up his skates, he loves to score goals, he loves to make plays, but it's about winning. And that's a message that something you never want to lose grasp of and sight of."
Anderson will play for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury in San Jose on Nov. 2.
"He's been hungry," Granato said. "He knows what he's doing. It's been a long road for him. This has not obviously been easy. And I don't think any time he's jumping in is going to be easy … but he's hungry. He wants to be in net."
Granato said it had not been determined whether Tokarski will serve as backup. Tokarski has practiced on and off since Dec. 27 but has not returned to game action due to lingering symptoms of COVID-19. He entered protocol on Dec. 2.
Anderson and Tokarski are the only two goaltenders on the road trip. Michael Houser, who had started two of the past four games, entered COVID protocol on Friday. Aaron Dell is suspended for three games and was placed on waivers Saturday morning.
Anderson said he feels ready to play after practicing with the Sabres on Thursday and Friday.
"The way kind of things played out, there's no time to think about, you know, getting extra shots or extra rhythm or whatnot," he said. "Just, here you go. Sometimes that's the best thing is to just kind of get thrown into the fire. You don't have time to think about it and psyche yourself out."
Arizona ranks either last or second to last in the NHL in four major categories: goals scored per game (2.21), goals allowed per game (3.71), power play (12.4 percent), and penalty kill (72.0 percent).
The Coyotes lost 2-1 at home to the Bruins on Friday, extending their winless streak to four games. Their 24 points rank last in the Western Conference standings, eight points behind the 15th-place Kraken.
Those numbers are in stark contrast to the Sabres' next two opponents in Colorado and Vegas, both of whom are considered contenders for the Stanley Cup. Granato emphasized the importance of not overlooking Arizona with those games on the horizon.
The Sabres are coming off a 5-0 loss to the Senators, another team behind them in the standings.
"We didn't respect the game in Ottawa," Granato said. "… We didn't respect the details that needed to be done in a game, starting with competitively executing your system, and we need to get back to that."
Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes in goals (16) and points (34). Phil Kessel has a team-high 22 assists.
Karel Vejmelka, who made his NHL debut in Buffalo earlier this season, is expected to start in goal. He is 6-16-1 with a .901 save percentage.
