'We stepped right back into it' | Hall, Krueger detail Day 1 of camp

Taylor Hall cited a talented, young core and a coach he believed in as reasons he chose to sign a one-year deal with the Sabres back in October. On Friday, he finally got to see it all up close.
The Sabres opened the New Year with their first practices of the season inside KeyBank Center. They were without captain Jack Eichel, who is day-to-day due to an injury he sustained training, but those who were present were enough to make a positive first impression.

Hall saw the ease with which Rasmus Dahlin glided across the ice and remarked to a teammate that strong skating must be a prerequisite for Swedish player. He immediately noticed the skill possessed by Victor Olofsson, who skated on his opposite wing. He even recognized some of the drills, a familiarity established from his days playing for coach Ralph Krueger in Edmonton.
"I knew that coming in, that it was a team that I think is poised to take a step, a team that has some really good options offensively," Hall said. "I think on the back end as well, you see Rasmus (Dahlin), the player that he is after just two years in the league.
"… Then I think just the way Ralph wants us to play, with pace, offensively, a team that really attacks and when we don't have the puck, obviously, a team that needs to get the puck back as quickly as possible and play to our strengths. That's a big reason why I wanted to come here was I saw that. I saw that building and I saw that firsthand today."

Familiarity can go a long way in an unprecedented season, the effects of which could already be seen Friday. Players did post-practice interviews via Zoom, and they wore masks while they did them. Team meetings were held in a socially distanced area next to the rink.
Hall said the philosophies in Buffalo felt familiar to what he experienced playing for Krueger in Edmonton, be it the on-ice maxim of aggressive, connected play or the quality-over-quantity nature of meetings. Krueger felt as though they picked up where the left off, with the caveat of added growth.
"It's like we stepped right back into it today on the ice when we spoke a few times," Krueger said. "He is just so mature now in his presence off the ice. I think winning the MVP a couple of years ago has put him in an extremely confident position and he just oozes confidence when he's in the room or when he's on the ice and the way he conducts himself now, even in the interaction about certain things.
"The leader in him has taken on a whole new level and meaning now. Those are add-ons. I always loved the competitiveness of Taylor Hall, the hunger to want to win and doing whatever the team needs to be successful has always been in his DNA. But now he has added a lot of bonuses, especially off the ice. I'm quite excited what he's going to bring us."
The Sabres have two weeks before they open the season against the Capitals on Jan. 14, leaving Hall and his fellow newcomers with a shorter-than-usual window to become acclimated to their new surroundings. Krueger crafted his lineup in part with that in mind, with most newcomers skating alongside Sabres veterans: Cody Eakin with Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo, Eric Stall with Jeff skinner and Sam Reinhart.

There will be challenges along the way. But the prevailing sentiment Friday was that the 13 days will be plenty to prepare for opening night.
"That core group is so strong and they believe completely in our team game," Krueger said. "They will also be coaching their linemates. You can see them spread out through the lineup today, the new guys, and working with them. You can hear conversations already along the boards. I'm sure they're going on in the locker rooms.
"But I want to underline, we feel quite comfortable with the time we have to prepare, especially with the experience our additions are bringing with them. They will get it very quickly, what the game is here in Buffalo that we need to play."

"No need for a panic" on Eichel, Ullmark

Krueger said that the Sabres are being precautionary by holding Eichel off the ice and that the Sabres captain is expected to join his teammates in the coming days.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark, meanwhile, did not practice Friday as he continues to quarantine due to an immigration issue that delayed his arrival in Buffalo.
"All is under control," Krueger said. "Jack is day-to-day. He will be fine. We are being just cautious in the process, but we expect Jack here in the next couple of days. The same with Linus. He's had a tremendous preparation."

Friday's practice

The Sabres split into two groups, one which resembles what the NHL roster might look like come opening night and another consisting of players who will be pushing to make the jump. Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert led the latter group's practice session.
That will remain the plan from here on out, save for the team's two intrasquad scrimmages. Krueger detailed his thinking behind the groupings Friday.
"We made the decision to go with a team-like feeling right off the hop," he said. "We don't have time to play with potential pairs and lines. Let's start looking at day one and let's get ready to play right now."
Here's how the groups looked on Day 1 with observations on each.
Gold group
4 Taylor Hall - 37 Casey Mittelstadt / 38 Riley Sheahan - 68 Victor Olofsson
53 Jeff Skinner - 12 Eric Staal / 25 Arttu Ruotsalainen - 23 Sam Reinhart
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo
13 Tobias Rieder - 27 Curtis Lazar - 72 Tage Thompson
19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 62 Brandon Montour
33 Colin Miller - 10 Henri Jokiharju
44 Matt Irwin - 88 Brandon Davidson
40 Carter Hutton
34 Jonas Johansson
Observations:
• Arttu Ruotsalainen finds himself opening his second NHL camp with the "game-like" group, which could serve as an opportunity for the Finnish centerman to make a push for the lineup. Ruotsalainen was off to a prolific start to this season in Finland's top pro league, scoring a league-best 27 points in (16+11) in 19 games. He and Riley Sheahan, who is with the team on a professional tryout, rotated in and out of line drills.
• Mittelstadt slotted in for Eichel between Hall and Olofsson. By playing Olofsson, a left shot, on the right wing, Krueger hopes to see an uptick in one-time opportunities for the forward at 5-on-5. Olofsson spent last season firing one-timers from the right half wall on the power play.
Blue group
Forwards: Steven Fogarty, C.J. Smith, Andrew Oglevie, Brett Murray, Brandon Biro, Rasmus Asplund
Defensemen: Will Borgen, Casey Fitzgerald, Mattias Samuelsson, Jacob Bryson
Goalies: Michael Houser, Dustin Tokarski
Observations:
• This group consists of players who are either entering their first pro seasons or spent all or most of last season in Rochester. That's not to say they won't be called upon in Buffalo. Teams are permitted to travel a taxi squad of four to six players in addition to the 23-man NHL roster this season, and depth will be as crucial as ever given the unpredictability of the pandemic.