Practice Report | Sabres finding their rhythm ahead of homestand

As the Buffalo Sabres prepare to open a four-game homestand at KeyBank Center on Tuesday, the group is focused on finding its rhythm offensively.

In Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders, that rhythm and cohesiveness began to emerge as the game went on and was apparent in some lines more than others.

The Sabres’ line consisting of Casey Mittelstadt, Jordan Greenway, and Zach Benson combined for both of Buffalo’s goals in New York while the other lines generated chances but were unable to get on the board.

“We looked more like ourselves and more in sync as a group of five on the ice,” Granato said. “The Mittelstadt line was a perfect example of that. The Thompson, Tuch, Skinner line still, as an example, they haven’t quite found that yet. But we know when they do, it’s going to be impressive.

“But, yes, it was Game 2. There’s a foundation of some things when you have that many returning players there that you can really start building on more. I thought once our guys start feeling like themselves, it’s exciting as a coach. It’s a sign that we’re moving in the right direction. Based on that, the direction can accelerate at a better pace than it did maybe a year ago.”

In the first two games of the season, the Sabres faced two defensive-minded teams in the Islanders and New York Rangers, who have a similar style of play.

After practice, Granato stressed the importance of playing against that style early in the regular season as the team gets back in the swing of things.

“I think that's great for us. ... You have to earn every inch of the ice, the details will matter, and you have to get comfortable playing a hard-checking game,” Granato said. “We know if the other team wanted to open it up, we’re comfortable in that game. So, I think having those two opponents and those styles of play to start the season are a good thing. Obviously, time will tell, but I think they're a good thing.”

On Tuesday, the Sabres will host the Tampa Bay Lightning and Granato expects their style of play to open up the ice more. As a result, the group will prepare a little differently than it did for the first two contests.

“They have talent that can go up and down the rink and they're confident and comfortable,” Granato said. “…The talent they have is still something you have to respect and prepare for and we’ll just prepare a little bit differently than we would have for Game 1 or 2.”

Tickets for Tuesday’s game are available here.

The game will be exclusively televised on ESPN with faceoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.

Here are more notes from Monday’s practice at KeyBank Center.

1. The Sabres skated with the same lines and pairs that they’ve been using to start the regular season.

Here’s how they 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

75 Connor Clifton - 6 Erik Johnson

78 Jacob Bryson

Goalies

27 Devon Levi

31 Eric Comrie

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

2. In just his second NHL game, forward Zach Benson recorded two assists and a plus-2 rating against the New York Islanders on Saturday, becoming the youngest Sabres player to record an assist since Pierre Turgeon on Jan. 25, 1988.

Following practice, Granato emphasized the qualities and skills that have allowed the 18-year-old to compete at a high level against NHL veterans.

“He has offensive gifts, but he’s not a liability at all,” Granato said. “Usually, you got to send a guy to the American League or back to junior because they don’t know how to defend in the NHL, they don’t know how to put themselves in the right position, or the opponent on the other side is just too physically imposing for him. They need to go back and train and get a little bigger and stronger. He’s addressed all of those.

“He has a very high compete level. He’s tough to knock off pucks. He disrupts a lot of pucks. Guys that are 30, 40 pounds heavier than him, he’ll force them to botch the play. So, those are the intangibles that showed in Games 1 and 2 that were very effective, and then obviously, he has the skill to convert once he does those.”

3. The Sabres’ top line of Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch held a 7-3 edge in scoring chances when they were on the ice together at 5-on-5 against the Islanders, according to Natural Stat Trick. Although the trio was unable to find the back of the net, Granato felt they looked more like themselves and is looking forward to seeing the results when they find their rhythm again.

“At some point, they’re going to hit a rhythm, find a stride,” Granato said. “Those three players, they were like poetry and that doesn’t just happen. It could potentially happen in Game 1, but it doesn’t often happen. So, I think them getting games under their belt in the regular season, they can get back into sync. And for them, it’s just a matter of getting in sync.”

In order to accelerate that process, Granato and the rest of the coaching staff have focused on reviewing video with players to get all the lines in sync. Granato said he saw a lot of progress against the Islanders after the Sabres’ season-opening loss to the New York Rangers.

4. Granato gave an update on Matt Savoie, who is on injured reserve and has been practicing since Oct. 6 after returning from an upper-body injury he sustained in the Sabres’ Prospects Challenge finale on Sept. 18.

“He is looking more and more comfortable. I can't tell you how close,” Granato said. “I’ll have another conversation today to see where he’s at, but he certainly is progressing in the right direction. There has not been a setback, which is nice, but I don’t have a timeframe.”