Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato has left the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and will be behind the bench for this afternoon’s road game against the Boston Bruins.
In addition, wingers Vinnie Hinostroza and Jeff Skinner will return to the lineup after leaving protocol Friday and practicing.
Granato, who missed two games after testing positive Sunday, said he feels “really good.”
“I’ve said that the symptoms I had the morning and last day I took the vaccine was much more severe than what I experienced through this,” Granato said on a Zoom call this morning from TD Garden. “I basically didn’t feel much. I was just maybe a little lethargic maybe for a day and then ready to go. So I’m pretty excited to be back and extremely excited to bring forward I feel very, very sure the vaccination did its work for me.”
The Sabres still have four players in protocol. Granato also said video coach Myles Fee and video coordinator Justin White are in protocol and working remotely.
In lineup news, Granato said goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start this afternoon.
With Skinner and Hinostroza back, the Sabres this afternoon sent forwards JJ Peterka and Arttu Ruotsalainen back to the Rochester Americans. The team also reassigned forward Brandon Biro and defenseman Oskari Laaksonen from the taxi squad to the Amerks.
Check back later for more on Granato.
