Granato - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres practice without six after zero added to COVID-19 protocol

BUFFALO – Some quick updates from KeyBank Center, where the Sabres practiced this morning for the first time in eight days following a Christmas/COVID-19 break:

– The Sabres today had zero players added to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. With coach Don Granato and five players having tested positive for the virus, assistant coach Matt Ellis led a session with 16 skaters and three goalie.

If Granato can’t coach Wednesday’s scheduled home game against the New ... Read the full article

Sabres facing COVID-19 issues as Don Granato, players enter NHL protocol

On Sunday, following a six-day pause, the Buffalo Sabres planned to reconvene and practice. Still, given how COVID-19 has been decimating NHL teams, it felt like their return to the ice could be delayed.

Sure enough, barely two hours before their scheduled 3 p.m. session, the Sabres canceled it. About 90 minutes later, they announced coach Don Granato and forwards Dylan Cozens and Mark Jankowski have entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol.

Right now, all three ... Read the full article

Sabres coach Don Granato, two players enter NHL’s COVID-19 protocol

Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato and forwards Dylan Cozens and Mark Jankowski this afternoon entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. Right now, all three are asymptomatic, according to the team.

The Sabres now have one coach and five players in protocol. Wingers Zemgus Girgensons, Vinnie Hinostroza and Jeff Skinner were added last week.

The team this afternoon canceled a practice scheduled for 3 p.m.

Following a four-day Christmas/COVID-19 break, NHL teams can reconvene today for testing, ... Read the full article

Parents of Sabres’ Casey Fitzgerald nervous watching son fight

For 22 anxious seconds Friday, Kerry Fitzgerald watched her son, Casey, a Buffalo Sabres defenseman, trade punches with Sam Lafferty.

Throughout the day, Kerry acknowledged she was a “nervous wreck” waiting for Casey, 24, to make his NHL debut at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. But after the puck dropped against the Penguins, she said it felt like watching any hockey game.

Then about five minutes into the second period, Casey took umbrage with ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson receives ‘good news’ after undergoing MRI

General manager Kevyn Adams said center Tage Thompson, the Buffalo Sabres’ leading goal scorer this season, received “good news” after undergoing an MRI.

“Which we were thankful to hear,” Adams said on a Zoom call Tuesday.

Thompson, 24, missed Sunday’s practice with what Sabres coach Don Granato called “soreness.”

If Monday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets hadn’t been postponed because of COVID-19 concerns, Adams said Thompson would’ve been a game-time decision. The Sabres’ ... Read the full article

COVID-19 impacting Sabres; Vinnie Hinostroza placed in protocol

As COVID-19 began tearing through the NHL again earlier this month, the Buffalo Sabres remained relatively unscathed, placing just one player in protocol while continuing their schedule uninterrupted.

But as positive tests skyrocketed throughout the league, game postponements piled up. Team after team was forced to pause its season.

Sooner or later, it felt like the Sabres would be impacted. Sure enough, all three of their games scheduled for this week have been shelved.

Late ... Read the full article

NHL postpones Sabres games versus Blue Jackets due to COVID-19

Tonight’s Buffalo Sabres home game against the Blue Jackets and Thursday’s contest in Columbus have been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, the NHL announced late this morning.

Wednesday’s Sabres home game against the Colorado Avalanche was postponed last week, so they’re not scheduled to play again until next Monday versus the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center. The Sabres last played Friday in Pittsburgh, losing 3-2 to the Penguins in overtime.

The Blue Jackets ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch to fulfill dream by playing for Sabres: ‘Excited as anybody I’ve seen’

BUFFALO – What makes winger Alex Tuch’s passion for the Sabres so unique is that he possessed it long before the team acquired him Nov. 4.

Tuch, 25, grew up in Baldwinsville, about 150 miles from KeyBank Center, rooting for his beloved Sabres. He attended games, owned jerseys and reveled in their success.

So from the get-go, Tuch, who’s scheduled to make his Sabres debut tonight, fit right in. He feels the same excitement as ... Read the full article

Blue Jackets’ COVID-19 problems could put Monday’s Sabres game in jeopardy

BUFFALO – As the Sabres were wrapping up this morning’s practice, Monday’s opponent, the Columbus Blue Jackets, announced three players had entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

The Blue Jackets canceled today’s practice and plan to fly to Buffalo on Monday after holding their morning skate at Nationwide Arena, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

But if more Blue Jackets players or staff enter protocol, the game at KeyBank Center could be postponed.

Blue Jackets captain ... Read the full article

Alex Tuch set to make Sabres debut; Tage Thompson misses practice

BUFFALO – The date Sabres winger Alex Tuch underwent shoulder surgery is seared in his mind.

“Two days less than five months since surgery,” Tuch said following this morning’s practice inside KeyBank Center. “It’s been a long road.”

That road is about to end. Coach Don Granato said today that Tuch will play his first game with the Sabres, the team he adored growing up in Baldwinsville, on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“He’s ... Read the full article