'True competitor' Mittelstadt expected to return Tuesday in Ottawa

Don Granato pointed to a December game in Florida to illustrate how the Sabres benefit when Casey Mittelstadt is in their lineup.
Mittelstadt had returned that night following a two-month absence. He was among the players on the ice when the Sabres, trailing by a goal late, pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Granato remembered Monday how the 23-year-old commanded the situation.
"He was extremely vocal 6-on-5," Granato said. "He did not like when we failed to execute, and he let it be known when he came back to the bench. … First game back at that point, but again his standard is he will not accept lack of success, and that's what we need."

Mittelstadt played two more games after returning in Florida before having surgery to address his upper-body injury, which originally occurred on opening night. He is expected to return again when the Sabres visit the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.
Mittelstadt was poised to enter the season as Buffalo's top-line center following a career-best stretch to end last season. He posted a team-high 17 points over the final 22 games, then parlayed that confidence into a productive offseason and training camp.
But Granato spoke as much about Mittelstadt's intangibles as his skill set when discussing his impending return.
Video: After Monday's Practice: Don Granato
"Mittsy just expects to work," Granato said. "You see him, multiple instances I saw him last year where the top players on the other team, he went after them as he's going to bench. Various teams in our division. He's aggressive in mindset.
"He's got an extremely high personal standard and he expects to be better than the guy he lines up across from. He is a true competitor. … He wants to be better than the guy that he lines up across from. That's different than a lot of guys. It's something that, when he comes in the lineup is something that you can't have enough of really. That pushes everybody else around him."
Kyle Okposo noticed the way Mittelstadt took ownership of his role as early as last January. Mittelstadt had spent COVID-lengthened offseason adjusting his habits after being reassigned to Rochester in 2019-20. He arrived at camp ready to seize his chance and stayed prepared when a full-time opportunity did not arise until Granato took over in March.
Okposo echoed Granato when asked what Mittelstadt adds to the lineup.
"He adds competitiveness, he wants to win, he wants the puck," Okposo said. "I think that's one of the best attributes you can have as a guy that gets points is he never shies away from having it. Like, he always wants the puck and just shows how competitive he is and how much he wants to be the best. I think that's pretty infectious to our whole group."
Here are more notes from Monday's practice at KeyBank Center.
Count Granato among the thousands in Buffalo who tossed and turned following the Bills' heartbreaking playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. His job as a coach at the highest level of his sport puts him in a unique position of empathy.
"I lost sleep thinking about it," Granato said.
Granato was asked how he might react after a loss of that nature.
"As a coach, you second guess," Granato said. "I mean, everybody second guesses coaches anyways. You watch the game, you love your team, you're gonna second guess when things don't go right. And coaches, you always second guess. That's your job, to second guess what you did.
"Should I have done this? Do I need to do that? Did I communicate … well enough? Did I not? What did we do in practice yesterday? Did it help? Did it hurt? What did I say in the pregame meeting? What did I say in between periods? So, you're always inventorying, taking note of what you did and obviously you consider what you didn't do in situations that you didn't win. That's why winning is so exhilarating."
Okposo, a full-time resident in Western New York, said his voice was still hoarse from the game.
"I've been here full-time for a few years now, and I know how much the Bills and the Sabres mean to Buffalo. My house, strictly Bills fans now. I was crushed. Those guys had some adversity throughout the season and I think they were better for it. You hope it's one of those things where they're just learning lessons, they're going to learn how to win. They're right there.
"I think they got a great core over there, they got a great group and sometimes you have to go through the downs before you break through. I think that 17 leading them over there is a pretty special player."
Video: After Monday's Practice: Kyle Okposo
Zemgus Girgensons was a full participant in practice and is expected to return to the lineup in Ottawa.
Okposo, who sustained an upper-body injury while being hit into the boards by Senators defenseman Erika Brannstrom last Tuesday, will not travel to Ottawa but could return during the Sabres' upcoming road trip on the West Coast. He practiced in a non-contact jersey.
Will Butcher (upper body) also practiced and is nearing a return, Granato said.
Here's how the team lined up, with Alex Tuch absent for a maintenance day.
| January 24 | | --- | | LW | C | RW | | 19 Peyton Krebs | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 96 Anders Bjork | | 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 17 Mark Jankowski | | 71 Victor Olofsson | 24 Dylan Cozens | 74 Rasmus Asplund | | 28 Zemgus Girgensons | 20 Cody Eakin | 15 John Hayden | | 57 Brett Murray | 21 Kyle Okposo | | | LD | RD | G | | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 41 Craig Anderson | | 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 13 Mark Pysyk | 80 Aaron Dell | | 78 Jacob Bryson | 8 Robert Hagg | 32 Michael Houser | | 4 Will Butcher | | |