Practice Report | Okposo week to week with lower-body injury, Granato returns from illness

Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo is week to week with a lower-body injury, the team announced Tuesday.

Okposo sustained the injury during Buffalo’s 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday but played through it to finish the game. He skated 10:56 and recorded two shots in the loss.

In the last 20 games, Okposo has registered eight goals and three assists for 11 points. His eight tallies in that timespan lead the team since Nov. 22, 2023. 

“Obviously, there’s a concern for him, first of all, but he’s been playing better and better certainly the last 15 games,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “He’s had a really great stretch. He’s a competitor, an ultra-competitor. He’s obviously the leader that we know and those are two areas we’ve talked a lot about, being more competitive and gritty.”

The injury news comes after the Sabres were finally back to full health for the first time this season. Zemgus Girgensons returned to the lineup against Ottawa after missing 17 games with a lower-body injury. The game marked the first contest that the Sabres had their full lineup available, without any players out due to injury.

Granato returned to practice at KeyBank Center following a two-game absence of his own due to an illness. Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert assumed Granato’s coaching duties behind the bench against Columbus on Saturday and in Ottawa on Sunday.

While under the weather, Granato did what he could to contribute remotely, communicating with Appert and his staff through FaceTime calls. Bringing in Appert allowed the rest of the coaching staff to assume their usual duties and prepare for the back-to-back set.

“Obviously, you’re dealing with an illness and that can take you out of it for a bit, which it did, but in the moments where you’re feeling good and you’re engaged and obviously watching close what’s transpiring and offering anything you can,” Granato said. “Absolutely a different perspective when it came to puck drop and game time. Fortunate we were able to have Seth come in and keep everybody in their spots and keep moving with some continuity.

“… But that’s the point: keep everything the same. Seth is in the routine of a head coach, so you know all the details and all the things that you have to think of, moving parts and pieces. He’s done it every day this year as a head coach, so for him there’s no change. He has the support of all the other guys who are here every day.”

Here's more from Tuesday's practice.

1. The group skated with the same lines as Sunday's game, with Eric Robinson taking Okposo’s place alongside Peyton Krebs and Girgensons.

Forwards

53 Jeff Skinner – 72 Tage Thompson – 89 Alex Tuch

77 JJ Peterka – 24 Dylan Cozens – 22 Jack Quinn

12 Jordan Greenway – 37 Casey Mittelstadt – 9 Zach Benson

28 Zemgus Girgensons – 19 Peyton Krebs – 50 Eric Robinson

71 Victor Olofsson

Defensemen

26 Rasmus Dahlin – 23 Mattias Samuelsson

25 Owen Power – 10 Henri Jokiharju

33 Ryan Johnson – 75 Connor Clifton/6 Erik Johnson

Goalies

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

27 Devon Levi

2. The Sabres have outshot opponents 88-51 in the past two games but have only found the back of the net four times.

After practice, Granato shared what the team can do to convert on a higher percentage of scoring chances.

“Scoring is what wins,” he said. “It was a situation where we generated enough, but that said, you’re continually looking for ways—obviously, what can we do better? And there’s a lot you can do better. You know, can we go to the net harder? Can we go after second chances? Can we create more chaos net-front? And the answer is, you always can.”

3. Buffalo placed goaltender Eric Comrie on waivers prior to Sunday’s game to clear room for Girgensons to be activated from injured reserve. Comrie was assigned to Rochester on Monday after he cleared waivers.

The move brings the Sabres down to two goaltenders, which Granato said will allow both Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to receive more practice reps and give the team a two-goalie rotation.

“Practice reps. One of the biggest things, I’m sure. Obviously, a little bit more clarity,” Granato said. “You know, the rotation is two instead of potentially three. So, it’s a different—it’s definitely a different realm.”