TOP STORYLINES
1. Forward Tage Thompson exited last Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins with 8:55 remaining in the second period after taking a shot by Charlie McAvoy off his wrist.
The Sabres look to come together as a team in response to Thompson’s upper-body injury, which is considered week to week.
“When you lose a player like Tage, you can compensate by playing better as a team and a lot of times your focus actually gears toward that more,” Granato said last week. “We hope that’s the case. We do know we can play better as a group of five that are on that ice and six as a goalie. We knew before this injury we still haven’t hit rhythm with that, consistency with that, and despite the loss of Tage, the focus and commitment to what we need to improve on hasn’t changed one bit in that regard.”
2. Tuch returned to the ice for practice last Thursday after missing the previous three games due to an upper-body injury. The forward picked up right where he left off, tallying a goal in his return against the Jets.
He now has 10 points (5+5) in his last nine games.
3. JJ Peterka has recorded 12 points (5+7) in Buffalo’s last 11 games, including at least one point in nine of those contests. The 21-year-old logged two assists in Chicago on Sunday to extend his current point streak to three games.
“His confidence has increased day by day over the last year and I think now he has felt like he earns and deserves more, and he’s going after it and getting it,” Granato said following Saturday’s practice. “On the flip side, I see that, feel that, and he’s gotten more ice time as a result. So, he continues to go in the right direction and it’s nice to see.”
